FDA debuts real-time safety dashboard for cosmetics; Colgate to change toothpaste packaging after Texas AG fluoride probe; cancer advocates flood Capitol Hill as funding fight looms – Morning Medical Update

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FDA debuts real-time safety dashboard for cosmetics

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched a new interactive dashboard that lets the public track real-time reports of adverse events tied to cosmetic products. The tool, part of the FDA’s broader transparency push, will update daily with reports on items such as moisturizers, shampoos, hair dyes and tattoos. Data come from mandatory submissions required under the 2022 Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act and voluntary reports from health professionals and consumers. While the reports have not been verified, officials say the system will help identify safety signals earlier and give Americans more insight into the products they use every day.

Colgate to change kids’ toothpaste packaging after Texas AG fluoride probe

Colgate-Palmolive will update packaging and marketing for its Colgate, Tom’s of Maine and hello toothpaste brands to depict a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste for children under six, following an agreement with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The move, set to roll out online November 1 before reaching store shelves, comes after Paxton raised concerns that images of large swirls of toothpaste could mislead parents and encourage excessive fluoride use. The deal makes Colgate the first major manufacturer to adopt such changes, while Paxton’s separate investigation into Crest remains ongoing. Fluoride is widely endorsed by dental groups for cavity prevention, though recent research has also raised questions about potential risks from overexposure.

Cancer advocates flood Capitol Hill as funding fight looms

With a government shutdown deadline approaching, more than 700 cancer patients, survivors and advocates gathered in Washington this week to urge Congress to sustain federal funding for cancer research and prevention programs. Organized by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the lobby day highlighted the stakes of proposed $18 billion cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) that advocates warn could jeopardize future cures. Participants also pressed lawmakers to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance tax credits and support Medicare coverage for multi-cancer early detection tests. The day ended with the annual Lights of Hope ceremony, honoring survivors and those lost to cancer with more than 10,000 lights at Constitution Gardens.