Consider that PM may already own Ruyan and that Ruyan has always been a subsidiary of PM.
It is interesting to note that in the FDAs final Brief, they argue that the FDA's current position is that they are not, according to them, "banning" the e-cig, rather demanding that they go though the application and approval process before they "might" be put on the market.
This process can take years and a whole lot of money. That really constitutes a "defacto ban" in my book, due to the time and expense of the approval process on top of the fact that there is no guarantee that the FDA will ever approve it even after the application is submitted and the studies are done-----
I am angry. Ebay has taken e-cigs off their site calling them a "Tobacco" product. They allow people to sell other nicotine products on their site. What I want to know is how they can ban the device itself if it contains no nicotine. In itself, it is only another electronic device. So without nicotine-it is not the Drug/device combination, that the FDA says it is. Does anyone else agree with me on this? I wonder if Ebay has this policy for "Electronics". As far as I know they don't. Any one with some input let me know. I did contact Ebay, (so did my entire family,lol). We are waiting for a statement on this issue.
Sun, do you mind my asking where exactly you predict the direction of this case going? What is your guess as to the Honorable Judge's decision? What would you choose on an objective basis?
Couldn't a ruling be made that yes the FDA can test it, but the product cannot be banned during the testing process? That seems a reasonable and fair ruling. I do not trust federal agencies because I believe they are influenced by big business and the FDA would have nepharious reasons for banning the sale of these products. Since this country has been so successful because of free enterprise I should think that squelching it would be a step in the wrong direction, and be unfair.
Juile ---the FDA does not test products. If a manufacture seeks to sell a product within the FDA's jurisdiction, the burden is on the manufacture to make application and provide the requiste studies to the FDA for approval.
The FDA stance is that drugs do not go onto the market for consumer consumption till after they are approved---not during the approval process to only later find out that it is harmful.
Sun