Republican opposition to Califf over agency’s recent move to relax its Mifeprex restrictions is ominous since, in order be confirmed as commissioner, he’ll need enough GOP votes to make up for Democratic opposition over his opioid track record and connections to pharma industry.

Formed by the FDA in fall 2018 and convened in early 2020 for a public meeting, the Interagency Working Group on Asbestos in Consumer Products maintains that electron microscopy should be a first-line method for detecting asbestos in cosmetic talc and talc-containing products, and that labs should report elongate mineral particles beyond those classically understood as asbestos.

Industry continues working to support updated GRASE findings for UV filters avobenzone, homosalate, octinoxate, octisalate, octocrylene, oxybenzone, ensulizole and meradimate, which the FDA categorized more than two years ago as lacking data, a position it reprised in 2021 under its overhauled OTC monograph system.

For first time rules for novel switches and OTC hearings aids are parts of “significant regulatory actions” in agency’s plans. Information is added in Unified Agenda items explaining likely benefits and costs from the changes.

The FDA offers insight into possible sources of benzene contamination in drug products, including aerosol spray propellants, carbomers, or other drug components made from hydrocarbons. Manufacturers that find benzene in drug product batches at levels exceeding 2 ppm should not release the product or, if already in distribution, discuss with the FDA initiating a voluntary recall.

Members of Congress in favor of giving FTC authority to impose monetary relief orders against firms linked to false advertising likely were caught off guard when West Virginia Democrat said he wouldn’t vote for legislation with $2.2 trillion for climate change, tax and social programs that President Biden made a primary plank of his Capitol Hill strategy and that the House passed in November.

Members of Congress in favor of giving FTC authority to impose monetary relief orders against firms linked to false advertising likely were caught off guard when West Virginia Democrat said he wouldn’t vote for legislation with $2.2 trillion for climate change, tax and social programs that President Biden made a primary plank of his Capitol Hill strategy and that the House passed in November.

US Hemp Roundtable submits comments on proposed rule as well as surveys hemp and cannabinoid product market stakeholders “to demonstrate the devastating impact the new rules would have on farmers, retailers and consumers.”

Cannabis-Derived Products Data Acceleration Plan aims to avoid same conclusion already found in FDA's more-than two-year search for information on using cannabis ingredients in supplements, food and beverages and personal care topicals: too little is available to determine safety.

On same day USP published report on delta-8 THC, former FDA executive who led a marijuana policy working group while there advised that banishing the ingredient won’t come any easier than controlling the use of hemp ingredients in non-drug products subject to the agency’s regulatory oversight.

Where the European Commission and Member States land in their final deliberations on the proposed microplastic ban could reveal a lot about industry costs deemed acceptable and the level of science considered necessary to regulate cosmetics and other markets in pursuance of Green Deal objectives.

The request for an interview by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis seeks more information on the actions by President Trump and others to influence FDA decisions on HCQ, convalescent plasma, and vaccine decisions.

Members of Congress in favor of giving FTC authority to impose monetary relief orders against firms linked to false advertising likely were caught off guard when West Virginia Democrat said he wouldn’t vote for legislation with $2.2 trillion for climate change, tax and social programs that President Biden made a primary plank of his Capitol Hill strategy and that the House passed in November.

There’s an increasingly familiar pattern to leading personal-care manufacturers’ benzene troubles in the states: Independent testing lab Valisure flags their product(s) as contaminated with the carcinogen; class actions file in federal courts; and, frequently, recalls are undertaken “out of an abundance of caution.”

Hydrocarbon-based propellants can harbor trace levels of benzene, among other impurities, when quality controls are insufficient. Leading brands’ antiperspirant and deodorant body sprays are the latest aerosol personal-care products identified by independent laboratory Valisure as contaminated with the carcinogen.

US consumers who purchased Neon Obsession pressed pigment palettes may be entitled to refunds under a settlement preliminarily approved in California’s Central District. Plaintiffs say Huda promoted Neon Obsession as eyeshadow despite use of color additives not approved by the FDA for eye-area use, an issue that cannot be cured by a “buried” disclaimer on product packaging.

J&J reported worldwide consumer health and personal care product Q3 sales up 4.1% to $3.7bn driven by 18.2% increase in OTC drug sales. Excluding OTC, its consumer business results would have been down as sales for all other sectors slipped.

Johnson & Johnson’s newly created subsidiary LTL Management LLC will take all cosmetic talc injury claims against the Johnson’s Baby Powder manufacturer into bankruptcy proceedings. J&J says the move is designed to ensure “equitable” resolution for all parties, while plaintiff’s attorneys have a decidedly different view on the matter.