By Molly Peterson
March 18 (Bloomberg) -- Removing menthol cigarettes from
the U.S. market would benefit public health, members of an
advisory panel said in a preliminary report today. Some
cigarette maker shares fell in early trading.
A yearlong analysis shows menthol flavoring lures more
people to start smoking and harms the public, making it harder
to quit, outside advisers to the Food and Drug Administration
said in a draft chapter of a report the panel must complete by
March 23.
The FDA advisers’ non-binding report is required by a 2009
law that restricts tobacco marketing and bars cigarette makers
from adding flavors such as clove or strawberry. An FDA
conclusion that menthol cigarettes are more dangerous than
unflavored versions may lead to a ban.
Menthol products account for about 30 percent of the $85
billion in annual U.S. cigarette sales. Lorillard Inc.’s Newport
is the top-selling menthol brand with $5 billion a year in
revenue, followed by Marlboro Menthol from Altria Group Inc. and
Reynolds American Inc.’s Camel Menthol, Kool and Salem,
according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Lorillard, based in Greensboro, North Carolina, lost $3.29,
or 4.2 percent to $75.49 at 8:56 a.m. before the start of
New York Stock Exchange composite trading. Reynolds, of
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, fell 19 cents to $33.04.
While a draft chapter released Feb. 28 found that menthol
smokers don’t face more risks of tobacco-related disease than
people who use regular cigarettes, the panel said disease risks
aren’t the only indicator of menthol cigarettes’ effect on
public health. The minty flavoring in menthol cigarettes
undermines public health by increasing the likelihood of
addiction and increases the number of smokers, the panel said in
today’s draft chapters.

Decades of Studies

The FDA’s Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee
reviewed decades of published studies and FDA research, along
with marketing data submitted by Altria’s Philip Morris USA unit,
Reynolds American and Lorillard, the three biggest U.S. tobacco
companies,
Advisory panel members are to discuss the draft chapters at
a meeting today.
Lorillard and Reynolds have sued the FDA to block the
agency from “receiving or relying on” the advisory panel’s
recommendations. Three of the eight panel members have conflicts
of interest, according to the complaint filed Feb. 25 in federal
court in Washington.
The three panelists have served as paid witnesses in
lawsuits against the tobacco industry and take money from drug
companies that make smoking-cessation aids, Lorillard and
Reynolds said in the complaint. Altria isn’t part of the suit.