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US FDA Adds Hand Sanitizer Import Alert Category After COVID-19 Production Surge Turned Deadly

 
• By Joanne S. Eglovitch

Action responds to methanol contamination in hand sanitizers manufactured in Mexico and marketed in the US under numerous brands that followed a loosening standards for the products to drive a swift increase in production and meet surging demand during the coronavirus pandemic.

Stop barrier

The prevalence of contaminated OTC hand sanitizers imported into the US, causing deaths and other adverse events, led the Food and Drug Administration to create an import alert category to block the products from reaching the country.

The agency's action responds to methanol contamination in hand sanitizers manufactured in Mexico and marketed in the US under numerous brands that followed a loosening standards for the OTC products to enable a swift

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