The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has sent its proposed rules that would ban flavored cigars to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. Also going to the OMB is the proposed ban on menthol cigarettes.

The proposed rules will now be reviewed by the OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). During this phase, the proposed rules will be scrutinized – particularly around the economic impact and legal implications.

The OMB review is a significant step in taking proposed rules and making them a final rule for enforcement. It was back in May of 2022 when the FDA proposed its initial rules for flavored cigars and menthol cigarettes. This was followed by a mandatory public comment period which the major trade associations submitted feedback to. The FDA then considered that feedback and incorporated it into the proposed rule as it sees fit. Its final proposed rule goes to the OMB for essentially a White House review.

In terms of a timeline for when the FDA will publish its final rule, that is still an unknown.