U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) Publishes List Of Vape Brands “that most commonly led to hospitalizations”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) has for the first time listed the vape brands that have most commonly led to hospitalizations.
Most of the nearly 2,300 people who suffered lung damage had vaped liquids that contain THC.
Dank Vapes was the brand used by 56% of the hospitalized patients nationwide in the USA.
Dank is not a licensed product coming from one business. Rather, it is empty packaging that can be ordered from Chinese internet sites.
Illicit vaping cartridge makers can buy the empty packages and then fill them with whatever they choose.
Other product names at the top of the CDC’s list were
TKO (15%),

Smart Cart (13%)

and Rove (12%).

A spokesman for Rove on Monday said the Rove products identified by the CDC were actually counterfeit products using the Rove brand.
Meanwhile, the CDC said the worst of the vaping crisis might be over.
 
FULL CDC REPORT

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6849e1.htm?s_cid=mm6849e1_w
Update: Demographic, Product, and Substance-Use Characteristics of Hospitalized Patients in a Nationwide Outbreak of E-cigarette, or Vaping, Product Use–Associated Lung Injuries — United States, December 2019

Early Release / December 6, 2019 / 68

Matthew J. Lozier, PhD1; Bailey Wallace, MPH2,3; Kayla Anderson, PhD2; Sascha Ellington, PhD4; Christopher M. Jones, PharmD, DrPH5; Dale Rose, PhD1; Grant Baldwin, PhD5; Brian A. King, PhD4; Peter Briss, MD4; Christina A. Mikosz, MD5; Lung Injury Response Epidemiology/Surveillance Task Force (View author affiliations)
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Summary
What is already known about this topic?
Patients with e-cigarette, or vaping, product use–associated lung injury (EVALI) in Illinois and Wisconsin reported using a variety of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-containing products in the 3 months preceding illness; a product labeled “Dank Vapes” was most commonly reported.
What is added by this report?
Nationally, Dank Vapes were the most commonly reported THC-containing product by hospitalized EVALI patients, but a wide variety of products were reported, with regional differences. Data suggest the outbreak might have peaked in mid-September.
What are the implications for public health practice?
These data further support the association of EVALI with THC-containing products; it is unlikely that one brand is responsible for the outbreak. CDC recommends that persons not use e-cigarette, or vaping, products that contain THC.

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CDC, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), state and local health departments, and public health and clinical stakeholders continue to investigate a nationwide outbreak of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use–associated lung injury (EVALI) (1). This report updates demographic and self-reported product-use and substance-use characteristics of hospitalized EVALI patients reported to CDC from available interview or medical record abstraction data. As of December 3, 2019, all 50 states, the District of Columbia (DC), and two U.S. territories (Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands) reported 2,291 patients hospitalized with EVALI. A total of 48 (2% of total reported cases) deaths occurred in 25 states and DC. Median patient age was 24 years, 67% were male, and the largest number of weekly hospitalized cases occurred during the week of September 15, 2019; weekly hospitalized cases since then have steadily declined. Among all hospitalized EVALI patients reported to CDC weekly, the percentage of recent cases (patients hospitalized within the preceding 3 weeks) declined from 58% reported November 12 to 30% reported December 3. Overall, 80% of hospitalized EVALI patients reported using tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-containing e-cigarette, or vaping, products. “Dank Vapes,” a class of largely counterfeit THC-containing products of unknown origin, were the most commonly reported THC-containing branded products nationwide and among all major U.S. Census regions. However, regional differences in THC-containing product use were noted; TKO and Smart Cart brands were more commonly reported by patients in the West region compared with other regions. Because most patients reported using THC-containing products before symptom onset, CDC recommends that persons should not use e-cigarette, or vaping, products that contain THC. The nationwide diversity of THC-containing products reported by patients suggests it is unlikely a single brand is responsible for the EVALI outbreak, and regional differences in THC-containing products might be related to product sources. Although it appears that vitamin E acetate is associated with EVALI, many substances and product sources are being investigated, and there might be more than one cause. Therefore, while the investigation continues, persons should consider refraining from the use of all e-cigarette, or vaping, products.
CDC has worked with state health departments and a task force formed by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to develop and disseminate surveillance case definitions* and data collection tools† to monitor and track cases beginning in August 2019. States and jurisdictions voluntarily report the number of confirmed and probable hospitalized EVALI cases and all EVALI-associated deaths to CDC on a weekly basis. This report is limited to data on hospitalized EVALI patients and all EVALI-associated deaths reported to CDC as of December 3, 2019 (2), and updates patient demographic characteristics, the number and diversity of self-reported substances, and brands used in e-cigarette, or vaping, products. Distribution of THC-containing brands is reported nationally and by U.S. Census region.§ 2018 U.S. Census population estimates were used to calculate rates (hospitalized EVALI cases per 1 million population) by state.¶ Because of the time required to investigate cases, weekly reports to CDC include recent EVALI cases (patients hospitalized within the preceding 3 weeks) and past EVALI cases (those hospitalized earlier). To assess the recent trajectory of the EVALI outbreak, this report examined the percentage of all hospitalized EVALI patients reported weekly who had been hospitalized within the preceding 3 weeks.
As of December 3, 2019, all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands reported 2,291 hospitalized EVALI cases to CDC (Table). Overall, a total of 48 (2% of total reported cases) EVALI-associated deaths occurred in 25 states and DC, which include one nonhospitalized case and two cases with unknown hospitalization status. Among hospitalized EVALI patients for whom data were available, 67% were male, and the median age was 24 years (range = 13–77 years); 78% of patients were aged


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