COVID-19: are you compliant?
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a surge in demand for disinfectants around the world. A number of countries fast tracked the supply chain of these products by relying on special provisions in their biocidal regulations (e.g., the BPR in the EU). However, the rise in demand of disinfectants and hand sanitisers has also increased the risk of having non-compliant products on the market, especially when companies are not familiar with the legal framework to access the market.
The US FDA, Health Canada and Member States in the EU have all recalled, or issued fines or warnings about products placed on their markets under the special provisions and derogations that were deemed to be unsafe, ineffective, and/or non-compliant.
Many of the special provisions put in place to fast track products to support the rise in need due to Covid-19 are now coming to an end. Companies will now need to go through the regular obligations to ensure compliance when placing new products on the market or in order to ensure continuance on the market.