Shares in British American Tobacco (BATS.L) and Imperial Brands Plc (IMB.L) rose on Friday after the U.S. health regulator exempted menthol and tobacco from a list of popular e-cigarette flavors that it has banned under new guidelines.

Axar.az reports citing Reuters that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday said e-cigarette makers will be banned from selling pod-based e-cigarette flavors, including fruit, dessert and mint, in the United States from February.

The ban was less stringent than one U.S. President Donald Trump had proposed in September, when he threatened to remove all flavors, including menthol, from all types of e-cigarettes to curb a teenage vaping epidemic.

BAT shares rose as much as 2.5% and were the biggest gainers in the FTSE 100 index .FTSE where many shares were hit by heightened tensions in the Middle East.

Imperial Brands was also among the handful of gainers, with its shares up 1.4%.