On Nov. 26, President Barack Obama signed the Sunscreen Innovation Act, which allows the Food and Drug Administration to prioritize and approve more effective sunscreen ingredients. In early November, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Sunscreen Innovation Act (SIA), which is designed to speed ingredient approvals to provide consumers with longer-lasting UVA protection.The bill requires FDA to review the safety and effectiveness of new over-the-counter (OTC) sunscreen active ingredients in less than a year’s time upon request. The SIA was passed on to the House by the United States Senate, which passed the bill in September 2014. The next step is for President Obama to either veto the bill or sign it into law.
“The move by Congress 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,” says American Academy of Dermatology President Brett M. Coldiron, MD, FAAD.
“The Sunscreen Innovation Act gives the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to prioritize the review and approval of more effective sunscreen ingredients that have been available to consumers outside the United States for years. The FDA has not approved a new sunscreen ingredient since the 1990s, despite advancements that provide better ultraviolet protection against the sun. This is about to change and consumers will ultimately reap the benefits with less exposure to harmful rays.”
