Health Legislation Quietly Moving through Congress

With all the noise around reconciliation, appropriations and executive orders, it would be easy to miss a bipartisan bill gaining traction in the House and Senate. Congress is due to reauthorize the Over-the-Counter Monograph User Fee Program (OMUFA), which will make important changes to over-the-counter prescription drugs.

OMUFA may sound like inside-baseball FDA policy, but it has real-world impact, especially when it comes to sunscreen regulations. For decades, the U.S. has lagged behind Europe and Asia in approving new sunscreen ingredients. As a result, American consumers are using sunscreen products that haven’t meaningfully changed since the 1990s. OMUFA gives the FDA the funding and tools it needs to modernize outdated regulations, including the monograph that governs how sunscreens are reviewed, updated, and brought to market.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing last month with broad support for changes to sunscreen within this reauthorization bill, specifically around alternatives to animal testing, and the Senate HELP Committee held a hearing yesterday on reauthorization efforts. Both committees have voiced support for getting this done by September 30.

While details still need to be worked out, this could be one bill – with big impacts – that moves through the House and Senate with bipartisan, bicameral support.