British American Tobacco : response to U.S. Food and Drug Administration announcement regarding vaping products

On 6th September 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement in response to recent reports of respiratory illnesses following the use of vaping products. This statement included a recommendation that consumers should 'avoid buying vaping products of any kind on the street, and to refrain from using THC oil or modifying/adding any substances to products purchased in stores'. Below is British American Tobacco's response to this statement.

Dr David O'Reilly, Director of Scientific Research, British American Tobacco, said: 'As one of the world's largest vapour companies, providing high quality products to more than 9 million consumers, we take our consumer safety responsibilities very seriously. We apply industry-leading standards of quality and safety testing to the way we develop and manufacture our products all around the world.

'Every single ingredient and component in these products has been scrutinised by our toxicologists for their suitability for vaping. Consistent with this, oils containing THC and Vitamin E Acetate are not, and have never been, added to our vaping products.

'From the FDA's statements we have seen, these tragic events appear to be a new phenomenon linked to liquids that were not sourced from reputable manufacturers and which contained ingredients, including THC and Vitamin E Acetate, which we do not use.

'These cases highlight the importance of effective regulation and enforcement to ensure product safety.

'We fully support the FDA's view that vapers should always source their devices and liquids from reputable manufacturers, should avoid modifying or adding substances to the products they purchase and should only ever use the devices as the manufacturer intended.

'We are monitoring the situation in the U.S. and will work closely with all relevant public health authorities around the world such as the FDA, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and Public Health England.'

Enquiries

Will Hill
[phone]

Investor Relations
Mike Nightingale / Rachael Brierley / John Harney
[phone] / 1519 / 1263