The FDA is asking manufacturers to prove the effectiveness of their antibacterial products that use triclosan or triclocarban as the active ingredient. (See the press release here.) This comes on the heels of last week’s announcement of their plan to help phase out the use of medically important antibiotics in food animals.
When I became a microbiologist I stopped using products with triclosan in an effort to curb antibiotic resistance. While I like to see the FDA’s efforts, I wonder if they’re doing too little, too late, and I’m not the only one.
Some additional reading on the topic:
1. Mechanism of triclosan resistance study, published 1999.
2. Another triclosan resistance study, published 2006.
Edited to add: Maryn McKenna’s excellent write-up on the topic.
-Kelly Swails is a laboratory professional, recovering microbiologist, and web editor for Lab Medicine.
Lablogatory 