title: Tobacco and nicotine product testing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tobacco product testing is a critical component of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (FSPTCA), which grants the Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate tobacco products. The availability of methods and measures that can provide accurate data on the relative health risks across types of tobacco products, brands, and subbrands of tobacco products on the validity of any health claims associated with a product, and on how consumers perceive information on products toxicity or risks is crucial for making decisions on the product's potential impact on public health. These tools are also necessary for making assessments of the impact of new indications for medicinal products (other than cessation) but more importantly of tobacco products that may in the future be marketed as cessation tools.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To identify research opportunities to develop empirically based and comprehensive methods and measures for testing tobacco and other nicotine-containing products so that the best science is available when decisions are made about products or policies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Literature was reviewed to address sections of the FSPTCA relevant to tobacco product evaluation; research questions were generated and then reviewed by a committee of research experts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A research agenda was developed for tobacco product evaluation in the general areas of toxicity and health risks, abuse liability, consumer perception, and population effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A cohesive, systematic, and comprehensive assessment of tobacco products is important and will require building consensus and addressing some crucial research questions.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota Tobacco Research Programs, 717 Delaware St SE, Room 260, Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA. hatsu001@umn.edu
authors: Dorothy K
authors: DK
authors: Hatsukami
authors: Lois
authors: L
authors: Biener
authors: Scott J
authors: SJ
authors: Leischow
authors: Mitch R
authors: MR
authors: Zeller
mesh_terms: D003657:Decision Making; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D004335:Drug and Narcotic Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D033161:Government Regulation; D006801:Humans; D009538:Nicotine / Q000009:adverse effects; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012907:Smoking / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D061485:Tobacco Use Cessation Devices; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration; D014026:Nicotiana
chemical_list: D009538:Nicotine