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Today, the House of Representatives easily passed a bipartisan bill supported by Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) to reform the way the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) regulates over-the-counter medications to make it easier for the agency to get new products to store shelves safely and quickly, and to address safety issues in a timely manner to protect consumers.

The Over-the-Counter Monograph Safety, Innovation, and Reform Act, legislation Dingell introduced with Reps. Bob Latta (OH-05), Michael Burgess, M.D. (TX-26), Gene Green (TX-29), Diana DeGette (CO-01), and Brett Guthrie (KY-02) to reform the outdated over-the-counter monograph system. The legislation modernizes the monograph framework and allows new, safe products to come to market more quickly while addressing safety issues. Also, the legislation boosts the FDA’s budget for overseeing the over-the-counter drug industry and add staff.

“The system for regulating over-the-counter drugs is broken, plain and simple,” said Dingell. “It doesn’t work for patients, it doesn’t work for companies, and it doesn’t work for the FDA. Companies cannot bring new, innovative products to market and the FDA cannot act quickly when they are faced with a safety risk. This is not reflective of how our healthcare system should be run and is putting patients at risk. The House passed our bipartisan legislation to bring the FDA and over-the-counter drugs into the 21st Century and make it easier to bring new, innovative products to market and to get dangerous drugs off the shelves.”

Video of Dingell speaking on the House Floor about the bill is available here.

The House overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan bill today. It now heads to the Senate for passage before heading to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

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