The FDA has named Brian Koplow as the permanent director of the Center for Tobacco Products, the agency division that regulates nicotine pouches, cigarettes, vaping products, and other tobacco and nicotine products.

Koplow has been at the FDA since 2011 and was most recently serving as the CTP's acting director. He previously held the role of senior counselor to the FDA commissioner.

What This Means for Nicotine Pouches

The CTP is the agency responsible for issuing premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) for nicotine pouches — the authorization process that determines which products can legally stay on the U.S. market. Under the acting leadership, the FDA has issued both marketing granted orders (allowing products like certain ZYN SKUs to remain on shelves) and marketing denial orders (banning thousands of unauthorized flavored pouches).

With a permanent director now in place, the agency's enforcement timeline and priorities may become clearer. The CTP has been operating under acting leadership during a critical period for the pouch category, with major brands awaiting final decisions on their PMTA submissions and retailers still selling products that lack authorization.

Koplow's tenure at the FDA spans over a decade, giving him institutional knowledge of the agency's regulatory framework. Whether that translates to faster PMTA decisions, stricter enforcement, or a shift in how the agency treats flavored nicotine pouches remains to be seen.

SOURCES:
Tobacco Reporter