Senate panel backs FDA oversight of tobacco

By Ishani Ganguli

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate committee endorsed legislation on Wednesday allowing the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco products, a proposal supported by public health groups and the nation's largest cigarette maker.

The bill would allow the FDA to restrict tobacco advertising, prevent cigarette sales to minors, mandate stronger warning labels, bar misrepresentation of tobacco's dangers and order removal of dangerous ingredients from cigarettes.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted 13-8 for the legislation that would also set standards for "reduced-risk" tobacco products, which could not be marketed as safer than regular cigarettes without FDA verification.

Lawmakers amended the bill to require more prominent and graphic warning labels on cigarette packages and included clove cigarettes in the legislation's ban of flavored cigarettes.

The bill authored by Massachusetts Democrat and committee chairman Edward Kennedy, along with Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn, is co-sponsored by 52 senators and now goes to the full Senate for a vote. A similar bill has been introduced in the House.

"Giving FDA authority over tobacco products will not make the tragic toll of tobacco use disappear overnight," Kennedy said. "However, FDA action can play a major role in breaking the gruesome cycle that seduces millions of teenagers into a lifetime of addiction and premature death."

Tobacco companies would fund the FDA's oversight of their industry with an initial figure of $450 million in annual fees -- about 2.5 cents per pack.

"The bill has the potential to save more lives than any other action that Congress has taken," Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, said after the vote.