FDA Head Tied to Big Pharma

While electronic cigarettes have plenty of opponents, from overzealous health groups to politicians to misguided ex-smokers, we think the Motley Foool’s Daily Finance hits the nail on the head with their assessment of one of the industry’s worst enemies: Big Pharma.

“All in all, the new e-cig industry is rife with speculation and foul play. With politicians, regulators, and pharmaceutical companies all attacking the industry, which is in its infancy, things could be about to get very messy.”

With the tobacco companies jumping on board with e-cigarettes, much of the opposition now, and certainly the opposition with the most money, comes from major pharmaceutical companies whose anti-smoking products are being threatened.

The largest producer of such products, GlaxoSmithKline, has the pockets and connections to make life a lot tougher for manufacturers of electronic cigarettes. Of particular interest and concern is the FDA’s new chairman, Mitch Zeller, who has admitted that he works closely with Glaxo, admitting to the Wall Street Journal in 2009 that he “provides consulting support to GlaxoSmithKline consumer health through Pinney Associates on an exclusive basis on issues related to tobacco dependence treatment.”

As the fight on both sides of the electronic cigarette debate heat up and regulations are enacted, we can’t help wondering how this relationship between the FDA’s head and Big Pharma will influence what happens to vapers.

Electronic Cigarettes Have a Rich and Powerful Enemy – DailyFinance

FDA Head Tied to Big Pharma