Jump to full article: Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch, 2009-06-13
Author: JOHN REID BLACKWELL TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Intro: Even under the watchful eyes of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, tobacco companies such as Henrico County-based Altria Group Inc. will have opportunities to thrive, some industry observers say.
That's because the legislation passed by Congress this week giving the FDA authority to regulate the industry leaves some doors open for tobacco companies to innovate, and even to make health claims about products, something they cannot do now.
After years of political debate about FDA regulation, "we are entering a much more science-based phase now," said Scott Ballin, a tobacco and health policy consultant who has lobbied for FDA regulation of the industry for 20 years. . . .
"We think that the regulation is going to create a framework -- where one does not exist right now -- for the pursuit of tobacco products that are less harmful than cigarettes sold today," Altria spokesman Bill Phelps said yesterday. "We think that is one of the strengths of this legislation and one of the reasons that we support it."
While the best health choice for smokers is to quit, Phelps said, "our goal would be to design the best products that we can and then under federal authority make them available to adults who do not quit."
Industry observers said the FDA legislation sets a high bar for making reduced-risk claims about new tobacco products, higher even than some public health advocates wanted. . . .
Zeller said reports that Altria had a major influence over the FDA bill, and even wrote the legislation, "are way overblown."
"I believe [the bill's] strengths outweigh its weaknesses, and ultimately this will be very good for public health," he said.
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