Two US tobacco companies have filed a lawsuit against the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to try to stop it taking on board the imminent report of an advisory panel which may recommend a ban on menthol cigarettes.

Lorillard Inc and RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company filed the suit in the US district court for the District of Columbia, alleging bias and conflicts of interest among members of the panel.

The companies allege that three doctors who are members of the tobacco products scientific advisory committee have …