Stubbed out: ‘Camel Crush’ cigarettes among four brands banned by US health authorities

The US Food and Drug Administration has banned sales of four cigarette brands from R.J. Reynolds because they did not meet the agency’s safety review requirements.

The FDA has previously banned a number of new tobacco products, including a dozen in 2015. However, anti-tobacco activists said Tuesday’s action was the first to target a major cigarette brand: Camel Crush Bold.

Under FDA rules, companies that launch new cigarettes must show that the products are essentially the same as older products in terms of health risks. The FDA said four brands from R.J. Reynolds failed to show that they don’t raise new safety concerns.

Agency officials said they participated in a “considerable back and forth” with North Carolina-based R.J. Reynolds before ordering the cigarettes off the market. The FDA’s action doesn’t explicitly mean that the products are more dangerous than older cigarettes, just different.

“All we have to conclude is that the different characteristics of these products raise different issues of public health,” said FDA’s tobacco director Mitch Zeller, on a call with reporters. “In our mind, these changed features raised questions for us.”

The brands are Camel Crush Bold, Pall Mall Deep Set Recessed Filter, Pall Mall Deep Set Recessed Filter Menthol and Vantage Tech 13.

Tuesday’s action means it is illegal for retailers to sell or distribute the four cigarette brands. However, the agency said it will not take action for 30 days to give stores and distributors time to dispose of the products.