DC Circuit Signals Skepticism Over FDA’s Premium Cigar Authority

The FDA’s decision to regulate premium cigars under its same authority as other tobacco products such as regular cigars, e-cigarettes, and hookahs was scrutinized before a federal appeals court Friday.

A three-panel judge in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit appeared skeptical of the Food and Drug Administration’s determination that premium cigars should be under its regulation, pressing the agency’s counsel on the data and studies they reviewed to make that decision.

“From what I reviewed, it seemed that there were a lot of general statements about cigar use,” Judge Florence Y. Pan said to ...