By Michael Dabaie22nd Century Group Inc. shares rose 23%, to $2.70, in Thursday morning trading after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the marketing of its VLN King and VLN Menthol King combusted, filtered cigarettes as modified risk tobacco products. An FDA release said MRTPs help reduce exposure to, and consumption of, nicotine for smokers who use them. These are the first combusted cigarettes to be authorized as MRTPs and the second tobacco products overall to receive "exposure modification" orders, which allows them to be marketed as having a reduced level of, or presenting a reduced exposure to, a substance, FDA said. The FDA said its behavioral and clinical pharmacology review found that by exclusively smoking cigarettes with the same or similarly reduced nicotine content as VLN cigarettes, consumers could reduce their exposure to nicotine by approximately 95%. "Having options like these products authorized today, which contain less nicotine and are reasonably likely to reduce nicotine dependence, may help adult smokers."

Source: Wall Street Journal December 24, 2021 08:50 UTC