The US Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it will need more time to decide whether the biggest-selling e-cigarette products may remain on the market -- a delay that infuriated pediatricians and anti-tobacco advocates.

The FDA said it has taken action on about 93% of the submitted applications, something it called "significant progress." The agency did not announce a decision yet on products from the leading e-cigarette company Juul Labs.

On this day last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration faced the unprecedented task of reviewing applications for over 6.5 million "deemed" new tobacco products – many of which were already on the market. A majority of the applications submitted by a court-ordered deadline of Sept. 9, 2020, were for electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) products, such as e-cigarettes and e-liquids, which had never been through the FDA review process. 

From among the global public health concerns, smoking remains one of the most crucial challenges. Especially for adolescents, the increase in the use of electronic cigarettes is controversial, as its use may lead to established smoking. In Japan, where a unique tobacco regulation system exists, the heat-not-burn tobacco market has been growing. However, the prevalence and association of combustible cigarettes and new tobacco-related products have not yet been closely investigated among Japanese adolescents.

The latest “Report on the scientific basis of tobacco product regulation:eighth report of a WHO study group”published on the official website of the WHO pointed out that in some cases, e-cigarettes can help some smokers quit smoking and have a positive impact on public health.