Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former FDA Commissioner, gave an interview to CNBC host Meg Tierrel at the Health Returns conference which primarily focused on several issues related to the FDA's approach to vaping under his leadership.

Gottlieb was asked about a ruling made by a federal judge last week stating the FDA needed to move more quickly in regards to regulating e-cigarettes saying the slow pace was "an abdication of FDA statutory responsibilities", alluding to the "deeming rule" and delaying of the PMTA deadline for vape products until 2022, even though the process was moved up in March.

PMTA is an acronym for Premarket Tobacco Application, an agency term for the process that companies go through to get their product approved for market sale, a long expensive process. The PMTA process for the IQOS, the heat not burn device from Philip Morris tobacco took at least two years and millions of dollars for the just the one product. The FDA has indicated it would require a separate PMTA for each vape device, vape juice flavor (including for each nicotine level and again if any ingredients change.

