Legal counsel for the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked the for the Pre-market Tobacco Application (PMTA) deadline to be delayed by 120 days, until September 9, 2020.

The FDA has asked the courts delay the process for 120 days due to the nationwide provisions designed to limit the spread of the deadly coronavirus pandemic gripping the globe.

The request for the delay is likely to be granted due to the complete shutdown of most non-essential gathering places which includes large portions of the federal government, courts and testing laboratories. Plantiffs in the case are not opposed to the delay and will not object according to the letter.

Employees of the testing labs for the FDA, which would normally participate the PMTA process, are currently involved in the U.S. government response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Here is the first page of the court filing made available by the American Vaping Association.