The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) reports it seized more than 70,000 vaping products following the execution of warrants on two storage units in NSW on 28 September 2023.
The warrants were executed as part of ongoing investigations into the alleged importation of unapproved nicotine vaping products.
It’s reported the seized products are alleged to be prescription medicines that were not included, or otherwise exempt from inclusion, in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG).
According to the TGA, the products will be tested for scheduled and other dangerous ingredients.
Nicotine vaping products that are not imported or supplied under a TGA-approved pathway pose a significant public health risk, according to the TGA, with many tested by the TGA laboratories found to contain dangerous and undeclared chemicals.
On 2 May 2023, the Minister for Health and Aged Care announced that the Australian Government is taking strong action to combat the supply of unlawful vaping products.
The TGA says it’s continuing to work collaboratively with the Australian Border Force to disrupt the importation of unlawful nicotine vaping products.
Nicotine vaping products are a prescription-only medicine. Appropriate treatment options involving prescription medicines should only be determined by a healthcare professional.