For many of us, Memorial Day marks the unofficial beginning of the summer season but as this year’s holiday approaches, word comes that the FDA has rejected the applications to approve new sunscreen ingredients that could be crucial in the fight against skin cancer.
We were ecstatic late last year upon learning that the Sunscreen Innovation Act had been passed by the US Senate and signed off by President Obama in November of 2014. The optimist in us looked forward to the widespread availability of new sunscreens that would provide effective, broad-spectrum protection thanks to the newest generation of stable sun filters available. Having access to good sunscreens is paramount to turning the tide on the rising rates of skin cancer.
However, hopes were dashed when the FDA ruled this past February that more safety data was required to prove the absence of long-term damage from sun filters that have been awaiting approval for many years. As a Washington Post article noted, cutting-edge treatments for melanoma have been approved by the FDA while, ironically, sun filters that could prevent melanoma, have been rejected. Tinosorb S and Mexoryl XL in particular have been approved and in use for years in Europe, Asia and Canada, yet manufacturers of sunscreens for sale in the US are limited to using active ingredients that have not been updated since 1999.
Those who have the most to lose by this recent decision are, of course, the US consumers who are denied convenient access to the latest ingredients available. The wait continues.
