US FDA finalizes hand sanitizer rule
Manufacturers can no longer use 28 active ingredients, including triclosan and benzethonium chloride, in over-the-counter hand sanitizers sold in the US, under a rule finalized by the US Food and Drug Administration on April 11. Millions of consumers rely on hand sanitizers to reduce bacteria on their hands when soap and water are not available. The FDA stopped short, however, of banning the use of three active ingredients—benzalkonium chloride, ethyl alcohol, and isopropyl alcohol—in hand-sanitizer products. Instead, the agency will continue to seek additional safety and effectiveness data for those three chemicals to determine whether they are generally recognized as safe and effective for use in consumer hand sanitizers. “We believe industry has made good progress toward providing data and we will continue to provide updates to the public about the progress of collecting this data,” Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, ...