On December 18, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched Cosmetics Direct, the electronic submission portal for facility registration and product listing required under the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA) and published a User Guide for the portal.[1] Cosmetics Direct contains user friendly data entry forms, performs initial validations, creates and saves the structured product labeling (SPL) submission, and submits the SPL to FDA.Continue Reading FDA Launches Cosmetics Direct and Issues Final Guidance on Facility Registration & Product Listings Required under MoCRA

On December 14, 2023, the FDA issued an update with further instructions on  serious adverse event reporting under the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (“MoCRA”), which is enforceable starting December 29, 2023.Continue Reading FDA Provides Updated Instructions for Reporting Serious Adverse Events under MoCRA

Just over a month after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its intent to delay enforcement of facility registration and product listing under the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA), the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report, “COSMETIC SAFETY: Better Planning Would Enhance FDA Efforts to Implement New Law,” with seven recommendations to strengthen FDA efforts to implement its new cosmetic oversight responsibilities.Continue Reading GAO Report Concludes that the FDA Needs to Strengthen its Efforts to Implement MoCRA

On October 13, 2023 The FDA announced that two of the requirements set forth in the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA)— facility registration and product listing—will be included as part of the Structured Product Labeling (SPL) framework. SPL is a document formatting standard adopted by FDA for exchanging product-related information. Continue Reading FDA Publishes SPL Guide for MoCRA Facility Registration and Product Listings

The Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA) establishes a number of new requirements for the cosmetics industry. Among other things, facilities that manufacture and process cosmetics in the U.S. will need to be registered with the FDA, and companies that manufacture cosmetics will need to submit a list of all cosmetics (and their ingredients) to the FDA.Continue Reading FDA Seeks Comments on COSMETICS Direct for MoCRA Facility Registration and Product Listing

In December 2022, the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (“MoCRA”)—the most significant expansion of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s authority to regulate cosmetics in nearly 85 years—was signed into law. Among other things, MoCRA gives the FDA authority to require facility registration and reporting of serious adverse events, impose certain record-keeping obligations, recall cosmetic products, and establish good manufacturing practices. With many of MoCRA’s provisions going into effect at the end of this year, cosmetics companies need to prepare to address these requirements and regulations, which may also have a considerable impact on the litigation landscape.

Crowell’s Product Risk Management team has written two publications to help cosmetics companies prepare for the big changes ahead.Continue Reading Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (“MoCRA”) White Paper

A recent article published by MedTech, “Could Bassinet Clearance Expand FDA Authority? Law Firm Expresses Concern,” quotes a Crowell client alert and Crowell attorney, Robbie Jost, on this development. According to the client alert, “To the extent the FDA considers the SNOO a medical device based on its intended impact on infant sleep position, many

The Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) recently issued guidance recommending that the term “milk” extend beyond dairy (cow) milk products to plant-based alternatives. Although not legally binding, the guidance indicates that nondairy milk alternatives can be labeled “milk” and need not be restricted as nondairy “beverages” or “drinks.” These plant-based alternatives should, however, include a statement on their product label describing how they are nutritionally different from milk (e.g., “contains a lower amount of potassium than milk”).Continue Reading Plant-Based Milk Alternatives, Udderly Nutritious?

The emergence of different COVID-19 variants and the corresponding surge in COVID-19 cases brings with it an increased demand for COVID-19 tests, particularly those that offer immediate results and can be done from the comfort of home. Unfortunately, like many other products on the market, at-home COVID tests are not immune to false claims or false results.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) announced a Class I recall of at-home COVID-19 rapid antigen tests manufactured by E25Bio Inc. According to the FDA, E25Bio marketed and distributed its SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Test Kits (“E25Bio Tests”) to customers throughout the United States without authorization, clearance, or approval from the FDA and with insufficient data demonstrating that the E25Bio Tests performed accurately. Rapid antigen tests are designed to detect proteins called antigens from the SARS-CoV-2 virus in patient samples. And according to the FDA, the E25Bio Tests contained inaccurate claims and instructions, including a statement misrepresenting the test as FDA-authorized.
Continue Reading Recall Litigation Report: E25Bio Inc. COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Tests

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, product manufacturers and distributors—many of whom have pivoted to create PPE-related products for the first time—are now faced with a veritable morass of guidelines and requirements to navigate from a variety of governmental agencies. Recent enforcement actions by federal agencies have only highlighted the importance of understanding exactly how a product must be produced, advertised, labeled, and sold.  This begs the important question: who is the regulator and what is the rule?

Our product risk management team has been speaking to several trade associations in September 2020 about how to navigate the alphabet soup of federal agencies supervising COVID-19 product distribution.  The biggest takeaway:  How a product is advertised for sale plays a critical role in how it is regulated and by which agency .  The regulatory profile can mean the difference between required manufacturing registration or specific requirements as to product labeling.

This article outlines a few of the major players involved in regulating products designed to mitigate or prevent COVID-19—specifically, the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), and Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”)—and discusses high-level considerations for entities who find themselves caught up in the regulatory alphabet soup.Continue Reading Who is the regulator? What is the rule?: Navigating the Alphabet Soup of COVID-19 Product Requirements