Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Over-the-Counter Monograph Drug User Fee Amendments.
Section 2. Finding
Congress finds that the fees authorized by the amendments made in this Act will be dedicated to OTC monograph drug activities, as set forth in the goals identified for purposes of part 10 of subchapter C of chapter VII of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 379j–71 et seq.), in the letters from the Secretary of Health and Human Services to the Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Chairman of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, as set forth in the Congressional Record.
Section 3. Definitions
Section 744L(9)(A) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 379j–71(9)(A)) is amended—
(1) in clause (v), by striking; or and inserting a semicolon;
(2) in clause (vi)—
(A) by striking addition and inserting the addition; and
(B) by striking the period and inserting; or; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
(vii) the addition or modification of a testing procedure applicable to one or more OTC monograph drugs, provided that such additional or modified testing procedure reflects a voluntary consensus standard with respect to pharmaceutical quality that is—
(I) established by a national or international standards development organization; and
(II) recognized by the Secretary through a process described in guidance for industry, initially published in July 2023, or any successor guidance, publicly available on the website of the Food and Drug Administration, which addresses voluntary consensus standards for pharmaceutical quality.
Section 7. Effective date
The amendments made by this Act shall take effect on October 1, 2025, or the date of the enactment of this Act, whichever is later, except that fees under part 10 of subchapter C of chapter VII of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 379j–71 et seq.) shall be assessed beginning October 1, 2025, regardless of the date of the enactment of this Act.
Section 8. Savings clause
Notwithstanding the amendments made by this Act, part 10 of subchapter C of chapter VII of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 379j–71 et seq.), as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this Act, shall continue to be in effect with respect to assessing and collecting any fee required by such part for a fiscal year prior to fiscal year 2026.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Over-the-Counter Monograph Drug User Fee Amendments.
Section 2. Finding
Congress finds that the fees authorized by the amendments made in this Act will be dedicated to OTC monograph drug activities, as set forth in the goals identified for purposes of part 10 of subchapter C of chapter VII of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 379j–71 et seq.) in the letters from the Secretary of Health and Human Services to the Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Chairman of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, as set forth in the Congressional Record.
Section 3. Definitions
Section 744L(9)(A) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 379j–71(9)(A)) is amended—
(1) in clause (v), by striking; or and inserting a semicolon;
(2) in clause (vi)—
(A) by striking addition and inserting the addition; and
(B) by striking the period and inserting; or; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
(vii) the addition or modification of a testing procedure applicable to one or more OTC monograph drugs, provided that such additional or modified testing procedure reflects a voluntary consensus standard with respect to pharmaceutical quality that is—
(I) established by a national or international standards development organization; and
(II) recognized by the Secretary through a process described in guidance for industry, initially published in July 2023, or any successor guidance, publicly available on the website of the Food and Drug Administration, which addresses voluntary consensus standards for pharmaceutical quality.
(a) In general
Section 505G of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 355h) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(1) Evidence and testing standards for active ingredients for topical administration
The Secretary shall—
(A) in evaluating the generally recognized as safe and effective status of active ingredients used in nonprescription drugs intended for topical administration for purposes of subsection (a), utilize standards that allow for the use of real world evidence (as defined in section 505F(b)), as appropriate, as part of a comprehensive evaluation of scientific evidence to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of such active ingredients, to supplement evidence from traditional clinical trials, provided that such standards allow the Secretary to evaluate whether the benefits of such active ingredients outweigh the risks; and
(B) apply subsection (b)(6)(C) to the regulation of active ingredients used in drugs intended for topical administration.
(A) In general
The Secretary shall consider the types of nonclinical tests described in paragraphs (1) through (4) of the first subsection (z) of section 505 (as inserted by section 3209(a)(2) of the Health Extenders, Improving Access to Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP, and Strengthening Public Health Act of 2022 (division FF of Public Law 117–328)), or any other alternative to animal testing that the Secretary determines appropriate, in the consideration of drugs intended for topical administration under this section.
(B) Guidance
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall issue new draft guidance on how sponsors can use nonclinical testing alternatives to animal testing, as appropriate, to meet safety and efficacy standards under this section for drugs intended for topical administration.
(3) Clarification
Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to alter, supersede, or limit the standards for making determinations of whether a drug is generally recognized as safe and effective under section 201(p) or the standards set forth under section 505 for determining the safety and effectiveness of drugs.
(b) Sunscreen final administrative order
A final administrative order on nonprescription sunscreen active ingredients issued under section 3854 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (Public Law 116–136; 21 U.S.C. 360fff–3 note) shall—
(1) account for historical data regarding the safety of sunscreen active ingredients that have previously been accepted for marketing in the United States;
(2) account for the role of broad spectrum sunscreens with a Sun Protection Factor of 15 or higher in effective skin cancer prevention; and
(3) incorporate the evidence and testing standards for sunscreen active ingredients detailed in section 505G(r) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 355h) (as added by subsection (a)).
(a) In general
Section 505(b) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 355(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(A) Meetings
Any person planning to submit an application for an Rx-to-nonprescription switch may submit to the Secretary a written request for a meeting, for purposes of developing a plan for such application that addresses the potential risks to public health of such switch and the evidence necessary to support such application, including the design of any necessary studies, and the format and content of the planned application. The Secretary may grant such a meeting, as appropriate, consistent with established procedures for granting meetings with, and providing written responses to, sponsors of applications under this section. Each such meeting shall be documented in meeting minutes.
(i) In general
Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary shall issue guidance to increase the clarity and predictability of the process and standards for approval of applications for nonprescription drugs under this section, including in the case of applications for an Rx-to-nonprescription switch, especially with respect to prescription drugs with well-established safety profiles for which an applicant may seek approval for nonprescription use.
(ii) Contents
The guidance under clause (i) shall—
(I) describe how published reports in medical literature, any previous finding of safety or effectiveness for the drug under this section, the results of significant human experience with the drug, unpublished studies and other data, and other sources of information may be used to support an application for a nonprescription drug, including in the context of an application for an Rx-to-nonprescription switch;
(II) set forth procedures for sponsors to request meetings described in subparagraph (A) and document the recommendations made in such meetings;
(III) describe evidentiary expectations to support approval of an application for a nonprescription drug, including in the context of an application for an Rx-to-nonprescription switch, including how sponsors can demonstrate that consumers can appropriately self-select and use the drug and comprehend the nonprescription drug label; and
(IV) provide recommendations for how mechanisms, in addition to the required Drug Facts Label, such as mobile applications and decision aids, can be incorporated into the information submitted in support of an application for an Rx-to-nonprescription switch.
(C) Plan to engage with stakeholders
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary shall develop and make publicly available on the website of the Food and Drug Administration a plan to engage stakeholders on steps and factors for application holders and other stakeholders to consider in identifying approved prescription drugs that may be promising candidates for applications for an Rx-to-nonprescription switch.
(D) Definition
The term Rx-to-nonprescription switch means the approval of an application, or supplemental application, as applicable, submitted under this section by the holder of an approved application for a prescription drug seeking approval to market such drug as a nonprescription drug, including for—
(i) a full Rx-to-nonprescription switch, under which a drug previously approved for prescription use only is—
(I) approved for nonprescription use under the same conditions of use as applied to the drug when approved for prescription use; or
(II) approved for nonprescription use subject to one or more additional conditions for nonprescription use; and
(ii) a partial Rx-to-nonprescription switch, under which the drug is approved for nonprescription use only under certain conditions of use described in the approved labeling, while the drug otherwise remains approved for prescription use only.
(E) Rule of construction
Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to—
(i) supersede or modify the authority of the Secretary under section 505G with respect to the regulation of OTC monograph drugs; or
(ii) authorize the disclosure by the Secretary of confidential commercial information or trade secrets.
(1) In general
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report that evaluates—
(A) the number of applications for an Rx-to-nonprescription switch approved during the period beginning on October 1, 2022, and ending on the date of the report;
(B) the number of drugs for which an application for an Rx-to-nonprescription switch was approved during such period subject to an additional condition for nonprescription use;
(C) among the drugs for which an application for a full or partial Rx-to-nonprescription switch was approved during such period, the average length of time from receipt by the Food and Drug Administration of the application to the approval of such application;
(D) the number of partial Rx-to-nonprescription switch applications approved during such period, and the number of applications for such a partial switch was not approved;
(E) any barriers to timely and predictable review of applications for an Rx-to-nonprescription switch;
(F) engagement by the Food and Drug Administration with public stakeholders, including public meetings or additional activities, to support review of applications for an Rx-to-nonprescription switch; and
(G) opportunities for collaboration between the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the purpose of analyzing health insurance claims data for commonly prescribed drugs that appear to be suitable for an Rx-to-nonprescription switch.
(2) Definition
In this subsection, the term Rx-to-nonprescription switch has the meaning given such term in paragraph (7) of section 505(b) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 244(b)), as added by subsection (a).
(b) Reporting requirements
Section 744N of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 379j–73) shall cease to be effective January 31, 2031.
Section 9. Effective date
The amendments made by this Act shall take effect on October 1, 2025, or the date of the enactment of this Act, whichever is later, except that fees under part 10 of subchapter C of chapter VII of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 379j–71 et seq.) shall be assessed beginning October 1, 2025, regardless of the date of the enactment of this Act.
Section 10. Savings clause
Notwithstanding the amendments made by this Act, part 10 of subchapter C of chapter VII of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 379j–71 et seq.), as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this Act, shall continue to be in effect with respect to assessing and collecting any fee required by such part for a fiscal year prior to fiscal year 2026.