U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Actions in 2024

Cinnamon quills; ground cinnamon drew 2024 lead alerts
Cinnamon quills; ground cinnamon drew 2024 lead alerts

Twenty major actions the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took in 2024 on foods and food packaging, supplements and edibles, cosmetics, medical tests and devices, and prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Each page reports the action from the primary documents — the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announcement, the Federal Register notice, the order or letter itself — with what it did, what it did not do, and where it stands as of October 2026.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Actions in 2024 (20)

In date order, oldest first. The stars rate each action's legal weight: ★★★★★ a final action that changes what is sold or labelled nationwide; ★★★★ a proposed rule or order, or a final action of narrower reach; ★★★ a formal safety review or a final guidance; ★★ a request for information or a public meeting.

⛽Jan 11, 2024★★★★★

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Urges Retailers to Stop Selling Tianeptine, “Gas Station Heroin” (2024)

January 2024: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked gas stations and convenience stores nationwide to stop selling tianeptine, an unapproved drug sold as a supplement, after seizures and deaths.

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🍟Feb–Nov 2024★★★★★

PFAS Grease-Proofing Leaves U.S. Food Packaging (2024)

February 2024: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced PFAS grease-proofers are no longer sold for U.S. food packaging, then added a PFAS import alert and a seafood data request.

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🥣Mar 1, 2024★★★★★

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Allows a Qualified Yogurt and Type 2 Diabetes Claim (2024)

March 2024: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it will not object to labels saying 2 cups of yogurt weekly may reduce type 2 diabetes risk, noting limited evidence.

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📈Mar 5, 2024★★★★★

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Clears the First Over-the-Counter Continuous Glucose Monitor (2024)

March 2024: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the first continuous glucose monitor sold without a prescription, for adults not on insulin, including people without diabetes.

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🟤Mar–Dec 2024★★★★★

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Lead Alerts on Ground Cinnamon (2024)

March–December 2024: after the applesauce-pouch lead poisonings, U.S. Food and Drug Administration testing found lead in discount ground cinnamon, prompting recall requests, warning letters and import alerts.

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❤️Mar 8, 2024★★★★★

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Approves Semaglutide to Cut Heart Risk in Obesity (2024)

March 2024: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a weight-loss semaglutide injection to reduce cardiovascular death, heart attack and stroke in adults with heart disease and excess weight.

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🩺Mar 14, 2024★★★★★

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Approves Resmetirom, the First Drug for Fatty-Liver Scarring (2024)

March 2024: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved resmetirom, the first medicine for adults with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) (now called MASH) and moderate to advanced liver scarring, under accelerated approval.

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🥛Apr–Dec 2024★★★★★

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Response to H5N1 Bird Flu in Dairy Cattle and Milk (2024)

April–December 2024: as H5N1 bird flu spread in dairy cows, U.S. Food and Drug Administration testing found no live virus in pasteurized retail dairy and warned states about raw milk.

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🔬May 6, 2024★★★★★

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Rule Bringing Laboratory-Developed Tests Under Device Law (2024)

May 2024: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruled that tests designed and run inside one laboratory are medical devices, phasing in oversight; a court vacated the rule in 2025.

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🧩Jun–Aug 2024★★★★★

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Declines to Approve MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (2024)

August 2024: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration declined to approve MDMA (midomafetamine) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), citing unreliable safety data, unproven durability and possible bias, and asked for another trial.

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🍄Jun–Dec 2024★★★★★

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Finds Amanita Muscaria Unsafe in Food After Mushroom-Edible Illnesses (2024)

June–December 2024: after 180 illnesses linked to “mushroom” chocolates and gummies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruled Amanita muscaria and its compounds unauthorized in conventional food.

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🧠Jul 2, 2024★★★★★

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Approves Donanemab for Early Alzheimer's Disease (2024)

July 2024: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved donanemab, a monthly amyloid-clearing antibody infusion, for mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to Alzheimer's disease.

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🥤Jul 2, 2024★★★★★

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Revokes Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO) in Food (2024)

July 2024: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revoked the last authorization for brominated vegetable oil in food after new studies found thyroid harm in animals; enforcement began August 2025.

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🍬Jul 16, 2024★★★★★

U.S. Food and Drug Administration and FTC Warn Sellers of Copycat Delta-8 Tetrahydrocannabinol Snacks (2024)

July 2024: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and FTC warned six more sellers of delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) edibles packaged like popular chips, cookies and candy that children could mistake.

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🚑Aug 9, 2024★★★★★

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Approves the First Needle-Free Epinephrine for Anaphylaxis (2024)

August 2024: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first epinephrine nasal spray for emergency treatment of severe allergic reactions, the first option not given by injection.

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💊Sep 26, 2024★★★★★

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Approves a New-Mechanism Schizophrenia Drug (2024)

September 2024: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved xanomeline-trospium, the first schizophrenia drug that targets cholinergic receptors instead of dopamine receptors, a new approach in decades.

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💉Oct–Dec 2024★★★★★

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Ends the Tirzepatide Shortage, Limiting Compounded Copies (2024)

October–December 2024: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration declared the tirzepatide injection shortage over, re-confirmed it after a court remand, and set wind-down dates for compounded copies.

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🤧Nov 7, 2024★★★★★

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Proposal to Remove Oral Phenylephrine as a Decongestant (2024)

November 2024: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed removing oral phenylephrine from the over-the-counter cold medicine monograph, finding it does not work as a nasal decongestant.

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🏷️Dec 19, 2024★★★★★

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Final Rule Redefining “Healthy” on Food Labels (2024)

December 2024: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration redefined the “healthy” label claim around food groups plus limits on added sugar, sodium and saturated fat, replacing the 1994 definition.

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🧴Dec 27, 2024★★★★★

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Proposal to Require Asbestos Testing of Talc Cosmetics (2024)

December 2024: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed requiring every talc-containing cosmetic, batch by batch, to be tested for asbestos by two microscopy methods; withdrawn in November 2025.

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