Ban on powdered gloves takes effect January 18

Powdered gloves will no longer be permitted for use in veterinary medicine beginning January 18, under a rule issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  For veterinarians who already use non-powdered gloves, the rule will have no impact. In fact, the FDA indicated that Global Industry Analysts projected the share of powdered disposable medical gloves sales to decrease to only 2 percent in 2015, so many medical providers likely won’t feel an effect from the rule. Although veterinarians who do use powdered gloves may find themselves with unusable inventory after January 18, the good news is that the FDA’s economic analysis indicates the cost of non-powdered gloves should be similar to the cost of powdered ones. Additionally, as of early January, we are aware of at least one manufacturer offering replacement of unexpired powdered gloves with non-powdered alternatives.