Commentary As COVID-19 blazed its path across the world, it sparked an insatiable demand for hand sanitizer, creating a frenzied market that had more in common with a gold rush than a public health measure. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stepped in, relaxing regulations to meet this spiraling demand. However, this decision, akin…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an import alert on alcohol-based hand sanitizers from Mexico amid serious safety concerns. “Under the import alert, alcohol-based hand sanitizers from Mexico offered for import are subject to heightened FDA scrutiny, and FDA staff may detain the shipment,” a statement from the agency posted on Tuesday reads. “As part…

Health Canada announced a recall for hand sanitizers labelled “Anti-Microbe” from the market due to more than permitted amounts of benzalkonium chloride found in the products which may pose health hazards—especially to children. The advisory notice posted by the agency on Jan. 22 said Atoms F.D. Inc. (Atoms), a Quebec-based soap and detergent manufacturing company, issued…

Health officials this week overturned fees that were being imposed on distilleries that made hand sanitizer early last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Two different fees, including a $14,000 one, were included in the COVID 19 relief package that was signed into law in March. That package made distilleries that produced hand sanitizer “over-the-counter drug…