House passes legislation to streamline sunscreen approvals

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that would streamline the approval process for over-the-counter sunscreen products.

The bill (H.R. 4250), called the Sunscreen Innovation Act, would amend the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, applies only to sunscreens that have been marketed for outside the United States for at least five years. It would also establish a framework for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review and approve over-the-counter sunscreens that have new active ingredients, and sets time frame requirements for them to be reviewed.

The FDA hasn’t approved a new ingredient for sunscreen in 15 years, according to a statement by one of the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.).

“…Eight sunscreen applications have been pending at the FDA, some as far back as 2002,” he said in the statement. “The framework outlined in this legislation strikes an appropriate balance between consumer safety and access to new sunscreen products.”

The bill would also require the FDA to report to Congress its progress on this program, according to the news release. The legislation was sent to the Senate July 29. 

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