The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to fast-track reviews of four tobacco firms' nicotine pouches in a pilot program, according to meeting transcripts seen by Reuters. The outlet reported that the pilot program comes “amid pressure from the Trump administration to speed up approvals.”
“The FDA aims to finish reviewing the pouches from Philip Morris International, Altria, Reynolds American, part of British American Tobacco, and Turning Point Brands by December, according to one transcript of an agency meeting held on Friday,” Reuters reported.
“We hope this creates urgency within FDA to expedite all outstanding PMTAs and inform retailers which products can and cannot be sold,” said Anna Ready Blom, strategic advisor to NACS.
The pilot could provide a route to a faster legal launch for the brands selected for the review. For other illicit products on the market, FDA authorization would reportedly remove questions over their legality and the threat of potential enforcement from the agency.
An FDA official told staff in August that the agency had been pressured by leadership, including at the White House, to review nicotine pouches more efficiently, according to a transcript of a second meeting.
Tobacco companies have previously had to wait years for their products to be cleared. In January 2025, FDA authorized the marketing of 20 Zyn nicotine pouch products through the premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) pathway after an extensive scientific review—“the first time the agency has authorized products commonly referred to as nicotine pouches.”
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