 Latest News
Youth Tobacco Product Use at a 25-Year Low, Yet Disparities Persist
Current tobacco product use among U.S. middle and high school students has dropped to the lowest recorded level in 25 years according to data released in October from the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS). Within the past year alone, at least half a million fewer students used tobacco products, contributing to this important progress.
In 2024, an estimated 2.25 million middle and high school students currently used (i.e., used on one or more days during the past 30 days) any tobacco product, compared to 2.80 million in 2023. This decline was largely attributable to the significant drop in the number of students who currently use e-cigarettes (2.13 million youth in 2023 compared to 1.63 million youth in 2024). Cigarette smoking reached the lowest level ever recorded by the survey, with only 1.4 percent of students reporting current use in 2024.
The report also found varying progress across population groups among middle and high school students. For example, during 2023-2024, current use of any tobacco products, e-cigarettes, and multiple tobacco products all significantly declined among female students, and current use of any tobacco product, e-cigarettes, cigars, hookahs, and multiple tobacco products declined among Hispanic students. In contrast, during 2023-2024, current use of any tobacco product, e-cigarettes, other oral nicotine products, any combustible tobacco product, and multiple tobacco products all increased among non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native students, and current use of nicotine pouches increased among non-Hispanic White students.
PATH Study: Wave 7 PATH Study Biomarker Data Files Released
FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) and the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) announced the release of Wave 7 Biomarker Restricted-Use Files (BRUF) from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study. This release is the first to include biomarker data from Wave 7, which were collected between January 2022 and April 2023. Researchers may apply for access to the Biomarker Restricted-Use Files (BRUF).
In addition, the Wave 1 BRUF have been updated to include expanded samples from Wave 1 adults who had former experimental use or long-term former use of any tobacco product. The Restricted-Use and Public-Use Master Linkage Files have been updated to reflect the new files and the current availability of biospecimens in the Biospecimen Access Program.
Upcoming FDA Grand Rounds Webinar on the PATH Study
Join CTP’s Office of Science on January 9, 2025, for a webinar on key findings from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, a nationally representative, longitudinal study of tobacco use. Over its 10+ years of data collection, the study has followed significant changes in tobacco product use and the marketplace, including a dramatic rise and fall in youth e-cigarette use, the emergence of new products like nicotine pouches, and increasing concern about the concurrent use of multiple types of tobacco products. The talk will share an overview and history of the PATH Study and highlight how scientific evidence generated from this longitudinal study informs FDA’s regulatory activities and public health.
In New Commentary and Public Meeting, NIH and FDA Leaders Call for Innovation in Development of Smoking Cessation Treatments
In a new commentary in the Annals of Internal Medicine, leaders at FDA and NIH highlighted recommendations and opportunities to promote innovation in research and development of smoking cessation therapies, for which there is an urgent need. The authors emphasize that active engagement across clinicians, academia, industry, public health, patient advocacy groups, and other stakeholders is critical.
To spark greater innovation in the development of smoking cessation products, the authors highlighted the importance of considering meaningful study endpoints in addition to abstinence in smoking cessation trials. For instance, clinically meaningful reductions in smoking, especially if such reductions increase the probability of eventual cessation. The authors also emphasized the urgent need for greater research on e-cigarettes, including on long-term health outcomes and rigorous toxicology studies. In addition, they discussed ongoing initiatives at NIH and FDA that aim to facilitate innovative research on smoking cessation, including among groups that have been historically underrepresented in research trials.
In October, FDA and NIH held a joint public meeting entitled, “Advancing Smoking Cessation: FDA and NIH Priorities” with a focus on advancing innovation of smoking cessation products to help both adults and youth. A video recording of the event is available online, including presentations and panel discussions on several smoking cessation-focused topics, including clinical and community perspectives, promising target areas for development, and regulatory paths forward. The public comment period has been reopened until Dec. 20, 2024, for the public to share insights, data, and recommendations on regarding advancing the development of innovative smoking cessation products and therapies to help both youth and adults.
FDA Posts Regulatory Science Policy Memos Related to Review of Premarket Applications
In November, FDA posted additional regulatory science policy memos related to the agency’s review of premarket applications. This release includes thirteen memos developed between 2020 and 2023 that describe the process and prioritization methods used to conduct filing and review of premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) for flavored e-cigarettes and other PMTAs, as well as the bases to support specific actions related to environmental assessments.
In general, the science policy memos provide a snapshot of the center’s perspective on a specific topic at a certain point in time. Therefore, the information contained in the memos is subject to change, for example, based on changes in policy, the regulatory framework, or regulatory science.
In April, FDA resumed the posting of regulatory science policy memos. This is now the fourth batch of released memos in 2024, and including those posted today, FDA has released a total of 26 memos.
More About CTP Research
Current Funding Opportunities
- Tobacco Regulatory Science (R01 - NOT-OD-25-002)
- FDA Support for Conferences and Scientific Meetings (R13 - PAR-23-072)
Recent Publications by CTP Researchers
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