In a letter to the F.D.A., Howard A. Willard III, chairman and chief executive of Altria Group, said he was alarmed at the epidemic levels of youth e-cigarette use, although he stopped short of saying that his company’s products contributed to it.

“Although we do not believe we have a current issue with youth access to or use of our pod-based products, we do not want to risk contributing to the issue,” Mr. Willard wrote.

He also said that e-cigarettes remain an important alternative for adults who want to stop smoking.

“The current situation with youth use of e-vapor products, left unchecked, has the potential to undermine that opportunity,” Mr. Willard said.

Altria’s move could pressure other e-cigarette makers, including Juul, the dominant seller of the devices, to withdraw some products. Altria has a tiny slice of the market, while Juul, with its sleek device that looks like a flash drive, now controls more than 70 percent of the market, and is valued by investors at $16 billion, according to Nielsen data.

“I think Altria will be happy to try to look like the good guy and let Juul take the heat,” said Desmond Jenson, a senior staff lawyer with the Public Health Law Center, based in Minnesota. “Juul selling well is actually to Altria’s benefit.