Four members, including Chairman Jonathan Samet, have left the tobacco science panel at the Food and Drug Administration to comply with a 2014 court ruling on conflicts of interest, the FDA said.

In addition to Dr Samet, doctors Claudia Barone, Joanna Cohen and Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin departed after FDA rescreened voting members of the Tobacco Products Science Advisory Committee (TPSAC). FDA announced three new appointments, Pebbles Fagan, Gary Giovino and Thomas Novotny, and said the remaining vacancy will be filled “expeditiously”.
US District Court Judge Richard Leon in July 2014 ruled FDA must reconstitute TPSAC in response to a lawsuit filed by tobacco interests in 2011. Judge Leon also barred use of FDA’s 2011 menthol report.
“FDA disagrees with the decision”, said Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. “Under other circumstances, there would be strong reasons for the agency to consider a waiver or authorisation that would allow these individuals to continue their valuable service. However, in light of Judge Leon’s ruling, we do not believe we are able to exercise our discretion to consider this option at this time.”