(December 2, 2022) Today the Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA (FDA Foundation) announces the release of “Snapshot 2022: A Changing Environment for FDA-Regulated Consumer Products.” This report outlines how the COVID-19 pandemic, and the prevalence of digital tools and technology are transforming the health care landscape, highlighting the need for industry and regulatory agencies to adapt. The report examines lessons learned from the pandemic and how they might inform the development of consumer-driven health care interventions. 

“So much has changed over the past few years; how consumers access information, manage wellness, and interact with the health care delivery system,” says FDA Foundation CEO Susan C. Winckler, RPh, Esq. “This report advances the dialogue about the changes to the health care environment, and the challenges of adapting that environment to empower consumers to make the best health care decisions for themselves and their families.” 

The Snapshot report explores several issues including:

• Lessons Learned from the Pandemic
• Prescription-to-Nonprescription Drug Submission Process
• Changes in Consumer Access
• Expanding Consumer-Driven Health Care Interventions 

The Snapshot report summarizes discussion from an FDA Foundation symposium that brought together stakeholders from patient advocacy groups, health practitioner associations, industry, and federal agencies. Detailing insights from across the health care landscape about how consumer expectation and technology are driving change, the report highlights the need to accurately capture data to improve access to health care (while recognizing that all technology is not accessible to all people) and the importance of better integrating the data collected from wearables, apps, and other technologies into the health care system to provide more reliable information. The Consumer Healthcare Products Association provided funding for this project.

View FDA Foundation reports