FDA Finds Fruity E-cigarettes Offer No Major Health Advantage

WHO:

ABC News - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized fruit-flavored e-cigarettes from the manufacturer Glas Inc.

AP News - Health groups and Washington lawmakers condemned the FDA's decision.

AP News - Ten Democratic senators sent a letter to the FDA requesting more information about the authorization.

WHAT:

ABC News - The FDA authorized fruit-flavored e-cigarettes as a less-harmful alternative to traditional cigarettes.

AP News - The FDA memo indicated that fruit-flavored e-cigarettes were not significantly better at helping smokers quit than tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes.

ABC News - Smokers using Glas vapes were more likely to completely switch from cigarettes over a three-month study.

AP News - The data did not show “statistically significant differences” between users of mango and blueberry flavors and those using tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes.

WHERE:

ABC News - The FDA is based in Washington, D.C.

AP News - Glas Inc. is a small company located in Los Angeles.

WHEN:

ABC News - The FDA authorized the fruit-flavored vapes last month.

AP News - Glas submitted a marketing request to the FDA in 2021.

AP News - The mango- and blueberry-flavored products were authorized during the last full week of Marty Makary's tenure as FDA Commissioner.

WHY:

ABC News - The FDA's decision came despite its longstanding position that fruit flavors appeal to children and require extra health benefits for adult approval.

AP News - The Glas flavored vapes did not have to demonstrate added adult benefit because young people were unlikely to use them.

HOW:

ABC News - Glas vapes require users to unlock each e-cigarette with an age-verifying cellphone app.

AP News - The FDA memo was unusually brief, lacking key details such as the number of smokers studied by Glas.

(UPDATED June 11, 2026 18:08 UTC)

The FDA has authorized fruit-flavored e-cigarettes from Glas Inc. as a less-harmful alternative to traditional cigarettes, despite health groups and lawmakers expressing strong condemnation of the decision. Ten Democratic senators have reached out to the FDA for more information, noting that the agency's own memo indicated these flavored vapes do not significantly aid in smoking cessation compared to tobacco flavors. Glas, a small company based in Los Angeles, has implemented an age-verifying cellphone app for users to unlock each e-cigarette, but the FDA's memo lacked crucial details, including the number of smokers involved in their studies.