FDA Chief, Praised for Efforts to Reduce Youth E-Cigarette Use, Will Depart

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who has won bipartisan support for his efforts to reduce minors’ use of flavored e-cigarettes, announced this week he will leave the agency next month.

On Wednesday, Gottlieb said his departure will not impact the FDA’s crackdown on youth e-cigarette use, according to The Hill. “I’m very confident of that, and I’m very confident that we’re going to continue with this policy over the next month, including the policy that we’ve been formulating,” he said.

Under Gottlieb’s leadership, the FDA proposed a ban on the sale of fruit- and candy-flavored e-cigarettes in gas stations and convenience stores, Reuters reports. The agency also proposed stricter requirements for age verification for online e-cigarette sales.