FDA Bursts Bubble On Antibacterial Soaps

With worries over antibiotic-resistant "super bugs" on the rise, many consumers may assume that antibacterial soaps would help protect against unwanted bugs: not so fast, says the FDA.  Amongst growing concerns that the active ingredient in many of these soaps, triclosan, could be linked to hormonal effects and bacterial resistance, on December 17th, FDA published a proposed rule that would require makers of antibacterial soaps and body washes to prove that their products are safe and effective.  This proposed rule, if finalized in its current form, would require manufacturers to either spend a great deal of time and money on safety and efficacy studies, with no guarantee that the studies will show the product to be safe and effective, or reformulate their products in order to avoid the risk of FDA enforcement.