June 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug

Administration authorized four of Altria's ( MO ) menthol e-cigarettes

for sale in the country on Friday, making them the first ever

flavored vapes the agency has permitted on the market.

The FDA has raised concerns about the risk of young people

using e-cigarettes, particularly the more appealing flavored

products.

In the past, the agency has rejected applications for

flavored vapes from other manufacturers, including British

American Tobacco ( BTI ).

Marlboro maker Altria ( MO ) bought NJOY in March 2023 for about

$2.75 billion in cash, renewing its bet on e-cigarettes as

consumers adopt alternatives to traditional combustible

cigarettes.

The FDA first began regulating e-cigarettes in August 2016

and has since made determinations on over 26 million

applications for e-cigarette products. Including the flavored

additions, it has authorized 27 e-cigarette products for sale in

the U.S. to date.

"In this instance, the strength of evidence of benefits to

adult smokers from completely switching to a less harmful

product was sufficient to outweigh the risks to youth," said

Matthew Farrelly, director of the Office of Science at the FDA's

Center for Tobacco Products.

Altria ( MO ) did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for

comment.

The FDA's authorization comes at a time when the U.S.

government is reviewing a potential ban on menthol cigarettes.

Anti-smoking groups argue that flavored cigarettes lure young

people into smoking and contribute to disproportionate health

burdens on Black communities.

Earlier this month, the FDA rescinded market denial orders

issued in 2022 for four varieties of JUUL Lab's tobacco and

menthol-flavored pods and its e-cigarette device.