Dive Brief:
- Njoy is seeking marketing approval for the Njoy Ace 2.0 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the company announced on Monday.
- The vaping company’s original Ace device is one of the few e-cigarette products that the FDA has granted approval to so far. The second iteration uses bluetooth connectivity to limit underage use, according to the announcement
- Njoy, which is owned by tobacco company Altria, has also resubmitted applications for watermelon- and blueberry-flavored pods for use with the device.
Dive Insight:
With its new vaping device, Njoy is hoping to address the FDA’s concerns over underage use while also unlocking the opportunity to once again market flavored products that the agency has restricted. The Ace 2.0 seeks to prevent underage users from vaping by requiring authentication via bluetooth to unlock the device.
If these flavored pods are approved, they would be the first non-tobacco-flavored vaping products to get the green light from the FDA. The organization has been largely against fruity or mint-flavored products because of their appeal to children.
“We’re excited to build on our existing FDA-authorized products,” said Shannon Leistra, president and CEO of Njoy. “NJOY ACE 2.0 includes critical technology features to prevent underage access to flavored NJOY products.”
Njoy’s Ace products are being sold in 85% of tobacco retailers surveyed by a recent Goldman Sachs report. Those retailers have a mixed opinion on how well those are performing but most say that Njoy is growing market share in the vaping space.
Njoy products are being distributed to more than 80,000 sites, the company said. It owns six of the 23 currently approved e-cigarette products and devices, according to the FDA’s website. That includes the Ace device and five tobacco-flavored pods.
