Saved by the bell! FDA delays Sept. 30 deadline
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced a delay in the Sept. 30 deadline for vape manufacturers to register their facilities and provide product listings to the agency.
Gottlieb posted the announcement on Twitter just after 9:00 p.m. EDT.
“We know there are logon issues with #FDA website system that also allows tobacco firms to register with FDA before Sept 30th deadline,” Gottlieb wrote. “Owing to website connectivity problems re tobacco registration, we’ll be implementing a short term extension to allow firms to register.”
Details will probably follow today or tomorrow. However, it would be wise for manufacturers to NOT count on a lengthy delay.
The announcement followed a week of problems for manufacturers trying to upload product listings into the FDA’s online registration system. The system, which was never designed to accept millions of data entries, has been unable to support the pressure of thousands of last-minute uploads.
Recent coverage of the deadline — including our story from last week — has alerted many small vape shops that mix their own e-liquid to the impending deadline, and added to the online frenzy.
Gregory Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, has been encouraging vendors to complain about the overloaded system to their members of Congress. There’s nothing quite like a call from a Congressional office to light a fire under bureaucrats at a federal agency.
The term “manufacturer” means any business that makes, packages, or relabels any vaping product, including e-liquid. Vape shops that mix liquid on site are required to register and provide product listings.
Any business owner who hasn’t begun the registration process should consult our article, which has links to the sites and resources needed to get started. Help can be found at vaping trade associations and vendor Facebook groups.
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