FDA approves sale of Zyn nicotine pouches, citing health benefits for adult smokers

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials Thursday backed the public health benefits of nicotine sachetsauthorizing Philip Morris International Zyn to help adult smokers reduce or quit smoking.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved 10 flavors of Zyn, including coffee, mint and menthol. It’s the first time regulators have allowed the sale of nicotine pouches, which are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. tobacco market.

The pouches have been available for more than a decade, with the FDA reviewing data from the company intended to show that the products can serve as an alternative to cigarettes and other traditional tobacco products. This decision does not mean Zyn is safe, just less harmful than older alternatives.

To stay in the market, companies generally must demonstrate that their products will reduce disease among adult tobacco users without attracting teenagers and teenagers.

FDA officials said Thursday that Zyn contains fewer harmful ingredients than cigarettes and various types of chewing tobacco, including snuff, which are linked to cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. The company’s data also showed that “a substantial portion of adults” who previously smoked switched to Zyn altogether, regulators said. The pouches are sold in two different concentrations.

“The data shows that these nicotine pouches meet this bar by benefiting adults who use cigarettes or smokeless tobacco products,” said Matthew Farrelly of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products.

The FDA has already granted similar authorization to several brands of electronic cigarettesA device for heating tobaccoAnd snus, a type of pasteurized tobacco which is popular in Scandinavian countries. Unlike snus, Zyn and other nicotine pouches do not contain tobacco, only nicotine and flavorings.

For decades, tobacco companies have tried to develop alternative products to replace declining cigarette sales as smoking levels in the United States and around the world continue to decline. E-cigarettes became popular more than a decade ago, but faced backlash after sparking a multi-year rise in underage vaping.

In recent months, anti-smoking groups have warned that nicotine pouches could follow a similar path, pointing to videos of young people using Zyn and other pouches that have racked up millions of views on social media platforms.

But the FDA pointed to government survey data showing that fewer than 2 percent of U.S. high school and college students used nicotine pouches last year.

Supporters of the sachets have pointed out that Zyn works in the same way as nicotine gum, lozenges and other older anti-smoking products: It releases low levels of nicotine that are absorbed through the gums, reducing cravings.

The debate over Zyn spilled over into politics last year, pitting Democrats and Republicans against each other in a new skirmish in the country’s culture war.

In late January, Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer of New York called on regulators to investigate Zyn, citing its appeal to teenagers. Several House Republicans then warned their constituents that “Big Brother” intended to “ban nicotine.” Tucker Carlson and other conservative commentators are among the public figures who have embraced Zyn.

Philip Morris said it does not employ online influencers or sponsors to promote Zyn, which is marketed in the United States by its Swedish Match unit. It competes with similar products from other tobacco competitors, including Altria’s On pouches.

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