An appeals court on Friday temporarily suspended the decision of the US health agency (FDA) to ban the sale in the United States of all Juul Laabs brand electronic cigarettes.
Shortly after the announcement of the ban on Thursday, the company warned that it would file a request for an urgent adjournment, before possibly preparing a more solid appeal procedure.
The judges of a Washington appeals court decided to suspend the decision in order to give themselves more time to study Juul Labs’ request, which is not an indication of the merits of the case, they said. in their judgment, consulted by AFP.
The FDA said the startup, which helped make e-cigarettes popular with its USB-shaped vapes and fruity-flavored nicotine refills, hadn’t provided enough data on its products to make an assessment. “potential toxicological risks”.
It therefore decided to order the ban on the marketing of its products and the withdrawal of those already in stores.
Juul Labs, for its part, claims to have “provided enough information and data” to resolve all the issues raised by the agency.
She had warned on Thursday that she intended to seek a stay of the decision and explore all options available to her, including an appeal.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the company is also exploring with its legal advisers the possibility of filing for bankruptcy protection if the FDA ban is upheld.
The FDA said in a message to AFP that it was not commenting on possible or ongoing procedures.
–
