The consumer health-care division of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take Reynolds’ dissolvable tobacco products out of test markets, reports the Winston-Salem-Journal.

GlaxoSmithKline, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies and seller of nicotine-replacement therapy products Nicorette and NicoDerm, submitted a comment to the FDA on the potential public health impact of oral dissolvable tobacco products.
"In our submission, GSK Consumer Healthcare called for oral dissolvable tobacco products to be withdrawn from the market until their sponsors can demonstrate to FDA that their marketing is appropriate for the protection of public health," the company said.
GSK said it agrees with a recent American Heart Association statement that smokeless tobacco products should not be used as an alternative to cigarettes or for smoking cessation because of "potential negative health consequences."
Dissolvable tobacco products such as Reynold's Camel Orbs, Camel Sticks and Camel Strips are being reviewed by the FDA’s Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee. (pi)