The FDA has filled four long-empty seats on its Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee, the expert panel that must review every modified-risk tobacco application before the agency can grant one. The appointments were announced this week, even though the new members’ terms began on July 12, more than three months ago.
The four new voting members bring a mix of toxicology, clinical, behavioral, and consumer expertise to the panel:
| New member | Role |
|---|---|
| Holger Behrsing | Respiratory toxicologist at the Institute for In Vitro Sciences |
| Kim “Skip” Murray | General public representative, Minnesota tobacco harm reduction advocate |
| Margaret Nolan | Physician at HealthPartners Institute |
| Andrew Strasser | Director of the Biobehavioral Smoking Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania |
A consumer voice joins the panel
Murray is the appointment most likely to interest vapers. She was designated as the committee’s representative of the general public, and she comes with firsthand experience. A Minnesota tobacco harm reduction advocate, Murray has testified against a state flavour restriction bill, telling lawmakers that flavoured vaping helped her quit smoking. Having a former smoker who switched to flavoured vapes in the seat reserved for the public is a notable shift for a panel that has historically been stacked with abstinence-leaning academics.
What TPSAC actually does
TPSAC has 12 members, 9 of them voting, and it advises the FDA Commissioner on the safety, dependence, and health effects of tobacco products. By law, every modified-risk tobacco product application must go before the committee, although its opinions are strictly advisory. In practice, the panel’s vote carries real weight, since the FDA rarely overrules it on high-profile applications.
Why the timing matters
These seats had stood empty since January 31, when the terms of Mignonne Guy, Risa Robinson, NFN Scout, and Dona Upson expired. The committee last met on January 22 to review the 20 ZYN nicotine pouch modified-risk applications, which were granted on June 30 in a landmark covered in our report on the ZYN modified-risk decision.
Alongside the appointments, the FDA published a Federal Register notice on October 15 (docket FDA-2026-N-11624) seeking nominations for two more voting vacancies. Nominations submitted by December 14 will receive first consideration, so the panel’s makeup could change again within months.
With the committee finally at full strength, it is better positioned to do its job as the FDA weighs its PMTA framework overhaul, and every modified-risk decision from here on will pass through these twelve seats.
Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration