WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans who smoke may soon be hearing a lot more about Zyn, the flavored nicotine pouches that have generated billions in sales while going viral on social media.

The Food and Drug Administration convened a public meeting Thursday to consider whether Philip Morris International should be allowed to advertise its pouches as a less-harmful alternative for adults who smoke cigarettes.

Government documents and presentations made at the meeting suggest FDA regulators are leaning toward approving the company’s request.

But a panel of independent experts asked pointed questions about the company’s research, the risks of underage use and whether the new marketing language would really steer smokers away from cigarettes. Nevertheless, they said the proposed risk statement is likely accurate.

“There are very few things that are legally available and worse for you than cigarettes, so it’s a pretty low bar to be safer than cigarettes,” said Lisa Postow, a panel member and scientist at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

The FDA is not bound to follow the panel’s guidance and will make the final decision on whether to approve the marketing claims. There is no deadline for a decision.

Zyn contains nicotine powder and comes in 10 flavors, including mint, coffee and citrus. Nicotine pouches have been a rare source of growth in the tobacco industry, where companies have struggled to replace shrinking revenue from cigarettes, chewing tobacco and other legacy products.

Here’s what to know about Zyn’s review before the FDA:

Why is FDA reviewing Zyn now?

Philip Morris asked the agency to approve new marketing language for Zyn, emphasizing its relative health benefits when compared with cigarettes.

Specifically, the company wants to say that using Zyn reduces the risk of “mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke” and other smoking-related diseases. Adding that language to Zyn promotional materials would further cement the brand in the U.S., where it dominates sales of nicotine pouches.

Last January, the FDA authorized Zyn to remain on the market after years of federal review, saying company data showed the small pouches are less harmful than cigarettes and other traditional tobacco products. Zyn was the first nicotine pouch to win FDA authorization.

If FDA signs off on the “reduced risk” claims, Philip Morris would be able to use the language in ads, mailing materials and online posts.

“Adults who smoke need accurate information about different tobacco products and the relative risks associated with them,” said Keagan Lenihan, a Philip Morris vice president.

What’s the evidence?

FDA scientists appeared to back the company’s proposal, saying “the totality of the evidence” supports the statement that Zyn reduces the risk of various smoking-related illnesses.

But the outside experts noted that Philip Morris did not conduct long-term studies of Zyn users or whether reading messages about lower risks led more smokers to switch.

“Whether or not the claim is going to accelerate that switching, there is no data here to answer that question,” said Cristine Delnevo of the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine and Tobacco Studies, who led the panel.

Philip Morris already sells a similar oral tobacco product, snus, a type of tobacco pouch popular in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries. Studies in those countries have consistently shown lower rates of lung cancer, mouth cancer and related diseases among snus users when compared with smokers.

The FDA approved a reduced-risk claim for the company’s snus in 2019 and panelists noted that there has been little uptake of those products by U.S. smokers. But Philip Morris executives said the language could have an impact over time.

“The more you communicate to adult smokers with this type of claim it will hopefully only increase switching to Zyn,” Lenihan said.

What about underage use?

In addition to considering potential benefits for smokers, the FDA is required to review the potential harms to young people and nonsmokers.

Representatives from anti-tobacco groups pointed to worrying signs: Videos from “Zynfluencers” and other young people using the pouches have racked up tens of millions of views on social media platforms in recent years.

Andrew Tardiff of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids noted that Philip Morris did not test how its marketing messages might influence teenagers.

“Zyn has features that enhance its appeal to young people. It’s sold in a variety of flavors. It’s easy to conceal. And it can be used discretely,” Tardiff said, citing similarities to Juul, the e-cigarette widely blamed for sparking the recent trend in teenage vaping.

Tardiff and other speakers also said that teenagers could be attracted by a Zyn rewards program that allows purchasers to accrue points that can be exchanged for electronics, gift cards and apparel.

Despite such factors, FDA staffers note that teenage use of nicotine pouches remains relatively low at 2.4% of high school students, according 2024 federal survey data.

How popular is Zyn?

Less than 1% of U.S. adults use nicotine pouches, but the products make up the fastest-growing segment of the tobacco market.

Within the category, Zyn is the overwhelming U.S. leader. Last year, it had more than $3.24 billion in sales, or more than two-thirds of the market, according to Nielsen data analyzed by Goldman Sachs.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The astronauts evacuated last week from the International Space Station say a portable ultrasound machine came in “super handy” during the medical crisis.

During their first public appearance since returning to Earth, the four astronauts refused Wednesday to say which one of them needed medical attention and for what reason. It was NASA’s first medical evacuation in 65 years of human spaceflight.

NASA’s Mike Fincke said the crew used the onboard ultrasound machine once the medical problem arose Jan. 7, the day before a planned spacewalk that was abruptly canceled. The astronauts had already used the device a lot for routine checks of their body changes while living in weightlessness, “so when we had this emergency, the ultrasound machine came in super handy.”

It was so useful that Fincke said there should be one on all future spaceflights. “It really helped,” he said.

“Of course, we didn’t have other big machines that we have here on planet Earth,” he added. “We do try to make sure that everybody before we fly are really, really not prone to surprises. But sometimes things happen and surprises happen, and the team was ready … preparation was super important.”

The space station is set up as well as it can be for medical emergencies, said NASA’s Zena Cardman, who commanded the crew’s early return flight with SpaceX. She said NASA “made all the right decisions” in canceling the spacewalk, which would have been her first, and prioritizing the crew’s well-being.

Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui said he was surprised how well all the preflight training paid off in dealing with the health concerns.

“We can handle any kind of difficult situation,” Yui said. “This is actually very, very good experience for the future of human spaceflight.”

Joining them on what turned out to be a 5 1/2-month mission — more than a month shorter than planned — was Russia’s Oleg Platonov. They launched last August from Florida and splashed down in the Pacific off the San Diego coast last week.

Welcoming them back to Houston were their replacements, who aren’t due to launch until mid-February. NASA and SpaceX are working to move up the flight.

“We were hoping to give them hugs in space, but we gave them hugs on Earth,” Fincke said.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Netflix is now offering to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business in all cash — in an effort to win over the Hollywood giant’s shareholders for its $72 billion merger and potentially thwart a hostile bid from Skydance-owned Paramount.

Back in December, Netflix struck a cash and stock deal with Warner valued at $27.75 per share, giving it a total enterprise value of $82.7 billion, including debt. But on Tuesday, the companies announced that they would be revising the transaction to simplify its structure, provide more certainty of value for Warner stockholders and speed up the path to a shareholder vote — which they said could arrive by April.

The all-cash transaction is still valued at $27.75 per Warner share. Warner stockholders will also receive the additional value of shares of Discovery Global, which would become a separate public company following a previously-announced separation from Warner Bros.

Warner leadership has repeatedly backed a merger with Netflix — and the boards of both companies approved the all-cash deal announced Tuesday. In a statement, Warner CEO David Zaslav said the revised agreement “brings us even closer to combining two of the greatest storytelling companies in the world.”

A spokesperson for Paramount declined to comment when reached by The Associated Press on Tuesday. Unlike Netflix, Paramount wants to acquire Warner’s entire company — including networks like CNN and Discovery — and went straight to shareholders with all cash, $77.9 billion offer last month.

Warner stockholders have until 5 p.m. ET Wednesday to tender their shares in support of Paramount’s bid, which has an enterprise value of $108 billion including debt. But that deadline could be pushed back further. While Paramount declined to share further details on Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported last week that the company was planning on another extension.

Beyond its tender offer, Paramount has promised a proxy fight. Last week, the company said it would nominate its own slate of directors before the Warner’s next shareholder meeting, the date of which has still not been set.

Paramount also filed a suit in Delaware Chancery Court seeking to compel Warner Bros. to disclose to shareholders how it values its bid and the competing offer from Netflix. But a judge on Thursday denied Paramount’s request to expedite that proceeding.

In a statement at the time, Warner applauded the court’s decision and called Paramount’s lawsuit “yet another unserious attempt to distract.” Paramount, meanwhile, maintained that the ruling wasn’t about the merits of its allegations and said Warner shareholders “should ask why their Board is working so hard to hide this information.”

Regardless of who eventually wins the upper hand, a Warner Bros. Discovery sale could be a long, drawn-out process that is almost certain to attract tremendous antitrust scrutiny. On Tuesday, Netflix and Warner maintained that they expect to close on a merger 12 to 18 months from December’s agreement.

Still, Paramount’s hostile bid could complicate that timeline. Politics are also expected to come into play under President Donald Trump, who has made unprecedented suggestions about his personal involvement on whether a deal will go through.

Trade groups across the media and entertainment industry have sounded the alarm over both bids, warning that further consolidation in the industry could result in job losses and less diversity in content — with particularly negative consequences for filmmaking.

The companies have spoken on those concerns. On Tuesday, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said combining with Warner “will deliver broader choice and greater value to audiences worldwide” both at home and in theaters — while “driving job creation and long-term industry growth.”

Netflix’s stock inched up just under 1% Tuesday morning, while shares of Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount-Skydance fell slightly.