News
President Obama has signed into law a bill that requires speedier review of sunscreen ingredients.
The Sunscreen Innovation Act garnered support from Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate, and from manufacturers and dermatologists as well. The House and Senate reconciled their two proposals – S. 2141 and H.R. 4250 – in mid-November, and the final bill was signed by the president on Nov. 26.
The law sets strict timetables for Food and Drug Administration action. The bill was prompted by a huge backlog of ingredients that have been awaiting review at the agency.
According to the PASS Coalition, the last new over-the-counter sunscreen ingredient was approved in the 1990s. Manufacturers have sought approval for eight new ingredients since 2002, but none has been acted on, according to PASS, an advocacy group made up of manufacturers, physicians, and organizations including the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American College of Mohs Surgery, and the Melanoma International Foundation.
The approval by Congress of the new law “signals the urgent public health need to make more effective products available to consumers, as skin cancer rates continue to rise at an alarming pace,” American Academy of Dermatology President Brett M. Coldiron said in a statement issued in mid-November. “The AADA looks forward to working closely with the FDA to implement the new law, and will be providing comments on its implementation,” said Dr. Coldiron.
Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), a coauthor of the original House bill, said that it had been too long since the approval of a new sunscreen ingredient. “With the president’s signature, Americans will finally be able to begin purchasing products that take advantage of improved research,” said Rep. Whitfield, in a statement.
