US FDA Teen Survey: ELFBAR Usage Rate Drops To 36% After FDA Enforcement, ZYN Becomes The First Choice For Teenagers

US FDA Teen Survey: ELFBAR usage rate drops to 36% after FDA enforcement, ZYN becomes the first choice for teenagers

According to data released by the U.S. FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of current e-cigarette users among U.S. teenagers in 2024 will decrease by 500,000 compared with 2023. Among them, the FDA's enforcement actions have led to a decline in the use of ELFBAR among teenagers. It will drop from 56.7% in 2023 to 36.1% in 2024, while ZYN ranks first among nicotine bag users with a usage rate of 68.7%.

On September 5, the latest data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that the number of U.S. teenagers using e-cigarettes in 2024 will be In 2023, there will be a decrease of 500,000. The data is published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

The National Youth Tobacco Survey is an annual school-based self-administered survey of U.S. middle school students (grades 6-8) and high school students (grades 9-12) from January 22 to May 22, 2024 . Survey results show that the number of U.S. middle and high school students reporting current (past 30 days) e-cigarette use has decreased significantly-from 2.13 million (7.7%) teenagers in 2023 to 1.63 million (5.9%) teenagers in 2024. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in e-cigarette use among high school students (from 1.56 million to 1.21 million), while there was no significant change in e-cigarette use among middle school students over the past year. The number of teens using e-cigarettes in 2024 will be about one-third of the peak in 2019, with more than 5 million teens reporting current e-cigarette use.

Among youth who currently use e-cigarettes, 26.3% report using e-cigarettes daily. The vast majority of teenagers who currently use e-cigarettes use flavored products (87.6%), with fruit (62.8%), candy (33.3%) and mint (25.1%) being the three most common flavors. Disposable e-cigarette products are the most widely used product type; however, the most popular brands include disposable and cartridge-based products. Among teens who currently use e-cigarettes, the most commonly reported brands are ELFBAR (36.1%), Breeze (19.9%), Mr. Fog (15.8%), Vuse (13.7%), and JUUL (12.6%).

Over the past year, the number of teens reporting using ELFBAR brand e-cigarette products has dropped significantly - from 56.7% in 2023 to 36.1% in 2024. ELFBAR is not authorized by the FDA, and the brand has been the subject of focused FDA compliance and enforcement actions since early 2023, including more than 1,000 warning letters and 240 civil monetary penalties issued to retailers and other relevant parties in the supply chain. The FDA also issued an import alert involving ELFBAR brand products, placing them on the "red list," allowing the agency to detain these products upon entry without conducting a full inspection.

Nicotine pouch use rates will not change significantly in 2024 compared to 2023 (1.5% in 2023 vs. 1.8% in 2024), but among teens who use nicotine pouches, 22.4% report daily use, the most common The brands are ZYN (68.7%), on! (14.2%), Rogue (13.6%), Velo (10.7%) and Juice Head ZTN (9.8%). Among teenagers who currently use nicotine pouches, the vast majority use flavored products (85.6%), with mint (53.3%), fruit (22.4%) and menthol (19.3%) being the three most common taste.

Dr. Brian King, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, said:

"While these numbers are generally low, we remain concerned about all tobacco products that appeal to youth. We will continue to monitor nicotine pouch sales trends and their threat to public health, particularly among youth."