The US Food and Drug Administration will increase the types of companies that can manufacture hand sanitizer as demand continues to exceed supply during the pandemic.
On Monday, the FDA issued temporary guidelines that will allow some ethanol producers to make hand sanitizers, even if that means allowing in some small amounts of impurities.
The FDA tightened restrictions on the use of ethanol in hand sanitizer two months ago.
According to the FDA, in some small hospitals, staff and owners are struggling to buy supplies, and consumers can only buy hand sanitizer in small quantities if they can find it at all. The FDA said it is working with the ethanol industry to make sure that harmful impurities aren’t introduced into the hand sanitizer during its production since good hand hygiene is key to halt the spread of COVID-19.
“As with everything we do, the FDA is committed to ensuring that we appropriately balance risk and benefit,” the agency wrote on its website.
