U.S. FDA halts use of triclosan in health care antiseptics

Abstract

The antibacterial compound triclosan, already banned in the U.S. from consumer soaps, will no longer be allowed in antiseptic products used in hospitals and other health care settings. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration late last month deemed triclosan and 23 other antiseptic ingredients to not be generally recognized as safe and effective. “There was a lack of sufficient safety and efficacy data” for the 24 affected chemicals, explains FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. The new regulation affects hand washes and rubs used by health care professionals, surgical hand scrubs and rubs, and antiseptic preparations used on patients’ skin before injections or surgery. In the new regulation, FDA put off deciding whether six other ingredients are safe and effective in antiseptic health care products, giving manufacturers more time to provide data to the agency. These substances are two quaternary ammonium compounds, benzalkonium chloride and benzethonium chloride; chloroxylenol; ethyl alcohol; isopropyl alcohol;