Panel finds anti-bacterial soaps ineffective

• Antibacterial soaps and washes aren't any better than plain, old soap and water for fighting illness in the household, says a panel of federal health advisers.
• They warned manufacturers they will have to prove their products' benefits or they may be restricted from marketing them.
• Dr. Alastair Wood, chairman of the panel which met Thursday to advise the Food and Drug Administration, said he saw no reason to purchase antibacterial products, given they generally cost more than soap.
• The advisers also worried the potential risks of the products, particularly the common hand soaps and body washes that use synthetic chemicals, create an environmental hazard and could contribute to the growth of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.
• Their products have grown significantly in popularity in the last decade, as consumers decided killing germs was better than simply washing them down the drain.
• But the FDA said controlled studies found no significant difference in infections in households using antibacterial products and those with regular soap and water.
• On Thursday, the agency's Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Panel, composed of independent experts, recommended no specific regulatory action against the manufacturers, but called on FDA to study the products' risks versus their benefits.
• Susan Johnson, associate director of nonprescription products for the FDA, said the agency would pay close attention to the panel's concerns.
• FDA officials and panelists raised concerns about whether the antibacterials contribute to the growth of drug-resistant bacteria, and said the agency has not found any medical studies that definitively linked specific antibacterial products to reduced infection rates.
• Levy said overuse of antibiotics is the main cause of bacteria developing resistance to them.
• He acknowledged that a yearlong study showed that homes using antibacterial soaps did not show an increase in resistant bacteria in significant numbers, but he argued the soaps will still contribute to resistance over a longer period.