July 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug

Administration has authorized the sale of Juul Labs' e-cigarette

device and refill cartridges in tobacco and menthol flavors,

after years of struggle with heightened regulatory scrutiny, the

agency and company said on Thursday.

Juul, which was once a major player in the e-cigarette

market before suffering a backlash after its flavored pods

became popular among teens, has seen its fortunes dwindle amid

lawsuits and plummeting sales.

The FDA's decision will offer a new lease of life to the

vape maker, which came close to filing for bankruptcy following

a federal ban in 2022.

The FDA's 2022 ban on Juul's four varieties of tobacco and

menthol-flavored pods and the e-cigarette device was stayed a

month later after an appeal by the company and rescinded in

2024.

Since the agency began regulating e-cigarette devices and

vapes in August 2016, it has authorized 39 e-cigarette products

for sale in the United States, including Altria's ( MO ) NJOY

menthol vape products, which received the nod last year.

An FDA spokesperson said it had authorized five JUUL

e-cigarette products after additional evidence provided by the

company demonstrated that the benefits to public health

outweighed the risks, namely that the products could appeal to

young people.

The products include the JUUL device, tobacco and menthol

flavor JUULpods of 3% and 5% nicotine concentration each.

"It's a significant milestone for us," said Juul CEO K.C.

Crosswaite, adding while the authorized products are already on

sale in the U.S., such developments signal an opportunity for

regulated products to replace Chinese disposable vapes that have

flooded the market.

The company now plans to launch additional FDA applications,

he said.

The industry has been expecting the Trump Administration to

ease regulatory hurdles for launching new vapes and other

smoking alternatives.

Some companies have seen FDA applications for new nicotine

products languish for years or, like Juul, faced rejections that

were challenged in court.

The FDA has been criticized by companies and some lawmakers

for slow product authorizations and for failing to address the

widespread trade in unauthorized products. The agency has said

it needs more resources to tackle these challenges.