INDIANA- On Monday, October 21, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will host a joint public meeting entitled “Advancing Smoking Cessation: FDA and NIH Priorities.” The focus of the meeting is on advancing the innovation of smoking cessation products to help both adults and youth.
The meeting will feature presentations and panel discussions on several smoking cessation-focused topics, including:
- Clinical and community perspectives
- Promising target areas for development
- Regulatory paths forward
The meeting will include an opportunity for public comment on several cessation-related topics.
The meeting is free and can be attended virtually or in person at the FDA’s White Oak campus in Silver Spring, Maryland. Additional information about the meeting, including specific questions for which public comment is being sought, is found in the Federal Register notice announcing the meeting. Deadlines for registration, including for public comment, are as follows:
- In-person registration is required by October 15, 2024, while virtual registration is open through 9:00 a.m. EDT on the meeting day.
- Registration to speak in person during the public comment portion of the meeting is required by October 1 at 5:00 p.m. EDT. Please note that public comments during the meeting will only be accepted in person and not virtually. Every effort will be made to accommodate as many speakers as possible; however, speaking spots are limited and not guaranteed.
- Written comments must be submitted by November 21, 2024, via the meeting’s public docket on Regulations.gov [Docket No. FDA-2024-N-4085].
Tobacco product use remains the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States, and each year, an estimated 480,000 Americans die prematurely from smoking or exposure to second-hand smoke. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Framework to Support and Accelerate Smoking Cessation includes a stated goal to promote ongoing and innovative research in the area of cessation. The FDA and NIH’s joint October meeting supports these efforts as the Department advances our collective efforts to improve the nation’s health.
