The Trump administration is preparing to ban flavored e-cigarettes as federal health officials call for restrictions to combat an outbreak of a mysterious lung disease that has sickened hundreds and killed at least six people, U.S. health secretary Alex Azar told reporters Wednesday.
It could take several weeks for the Food and Drug Administration to develop e-cigarette guidelines, Azar said, following a meeting at the Oval Office with President Donald Trump on the issue.
The meeting comes as members of Congress increasingly pressure the administration to rein in the e-cigarette industry. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating more than 450 cases of lung disease officials suspect were caused by vaping.
Some officials have honed in on a vitamin E oil that’s been added to some THC vaping products as a possible cause. Regardless, the outbreak has fueled calls to restrict the e-cigarette industry amid what regulators are calling an “epidemic” of teen vaping.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
-CNBC’s Eamon Javers and Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report.
