EWG pushing again for final sunscreen monograph
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
FDA should make haste - before summer - to issue enforceable sunscreen standards that include requirements for ultraviolet-A (UVA) protection, according to April 2 letter from the Environmental Working Group. Addressed to FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Director Janet Woodcock, the letter encourages the agency to complete its health and safety reviews of new active ingredients awaiting approval so that sunscreen formulators in the U.S. can move forward with "safer" sunscreens. EWG cites the fact that while 29 ultraviolet filters have been approved in the EU, only 17 have gotten the nod in the U.S. FDA has said it is aiming to release the final OTC sunscreen monograph in May (1"The Rose Sheet" March 22, 2010). An amended final version of the rule was released in 2007, but has been met with criticism from industry