WASHINGTON – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced an award of $53 million in research grants for projects related to the regulation of tobacco products.

The grants will be used to create 14 Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science (TCORS), which will generate research to inform the regulation of tobacco products to protect public health. TCORS will be coordinated by NIH’s Office of Disease Prevention and administered by three NIH institutes — the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

“For the first time, under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, the federal government, through the FDA Center for Tobacco Products (CTP), is able to bring science-based regulation to the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of tobacco products,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg. “The FDA is committed to a science-based approach that addresses the complex public health issues raised by tobacco product regulation.”

TCORS will bring together investigators from across the country to assist in developing tobacco product regulations. It will be comprised of scientists with expertise in fields including epidemiology, behavior, biology, medicine, economics, chemistry, toxicology, addictions, public health, communications, and marketing.

“While we’ve made tremendous strides in reducing the use of tobacco products in the U.S., smoking still accounts for one in five deaths each year, which is far too many,” said NIH Director Francis S. Collins. “FDA/NIH partnerships like the Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science keep us focused on reducing the burden and devastation of preventable disease caused by tobacco use.”

Over the next five years, the agency is expected to fund up to $273 million for its efforts.