Changes in Availability of ENDS: 2019-2020, U.S

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Tobacco Control
• Market Analysis

Background:

• Retail availability of ENDS is influenced by market dynamics and regulatory actions.
• Understanding ENDS availability trends is crucial for contextualizing sales data and informing public health strategies.
• Key events in 2019-2020, including lung injury outbreaks and federal regulations, potentially impacted ENDS retail presence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure changes in U.S. ENDS retail availability between January 2019 and December 2020.
• To analyze trends in ENDS availability by subproduct and flavor category.
• To assess the correlation between ENDS availability shifts and significant tobacco marketplace events.

Main Methods:

• Joinpoint regression analysis was employed to identify slope changes in weekly ENDS availability.
• NielsenIQ scanner data provided weekly unique universal product codes with non-zero sales.
• Availability was modeled overall and stratified by subproduct (prefilled cartridges, disposables) and flavor (mint, menthol, tobacco, undetermined).

Main Results:

• Overall ENDS availability increased by 66% from January 2019 to December 2020.
• Prefilled cartridge availability decreased by 43%, while disposable availability surged by 511%, both led by flavored products.
• A notable decrease in flavored prefilled cartridge availability occurred in early 2020, followed by an increase in flavored disposable availability.

Conclusions:

• ENDS availability significantly increased during 2019-2020, primarily due to flavored disposable products.
• Observed shifts in ENDS availability coincided with tobacco industry events and regulatory enforcement priorities.
• The findings suggest a dynamic relationship between FDA enforcement actions and the evolving ENDS marketplace, particularly concerning flavored products.