FDA Issues Proposed Rule for OTC Antiseptics and Hand Soaps

Dec. 17, 2013

On Monday, U.S. regulators issued a proposed rule that would require makers of antibacterial hand soaps and body washes to demonstrate their products are safe, as well as more effective than soap and water in preventing infection and the spread of bacteria.

The long-awaited rule would more strictly regulate how over-the-counter antiseptic products used with water are formulated, in response to research that suggests long-term exposure to antibacterial chemicals, such as triclosan in liquid soaps and triclocarban in bar soaps, could have hormonal affects and allow bacteria to mutate into harder-to-control strains.

Read the Reuters press release