US District Court Judge Amit Mehta partially vacated a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines to tobacco companies seeking regulatory approval for significant packaging changes, Reuters said.

The ruling in Washington DC held that regulating labelling changes such as colour or logo was not specifically delegated to FDA when Congress made the agency the country’s chief tobacco regulator in 2009. However changes in pack size represent a modification of the product and could require approval, the ruling reportedly states.
The case: Philip Morris USA v. U.S. FDA, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, No. 15-1590.