Food and Drug Administration

FDA proposes ban on most powdered gloves. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 21 announced a proposal to ban most powdered gloves in the US. The proposed ban applies to powdered surgeon’s gloves, powdered patient examination gloves, and absorbable powder for lubricating a surgeon’s gloves.

Powdered gloves pose an unreasonable and substantial risk of illness or injury to healthcare providers, patients, and other individuals who are exposed to them, the FDA says.

Because these risks cannot be corrected through new or updated labeling, the FDA is moving forward with the proposal to ban these products, which, if finalized, would remove them from the marketplace completely.

http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm491466.htm?

FDA issues tissue, cell donation recommendations to reduce Zika virus risk. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 1 released new guidelines to prevent transmission of the Zika virus from human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue-based products.

The guidance addresses both living and deceased donations of corneas, bone, skin, heart valves, hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, gestational tissues such as umbilical cord blood and placentas, and reproductive tissues such as semen and oocytes.

Those diagnosed with Zika or who have traveled to Zika-infected areas in the past 6 months are not suitable for donation.

http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm488612.htm