Chair of the House Appropriations Committee Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today announced that she secured a timeline from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the rollout of their new breast density notification rule, which would require providers to notify women if they have dense breasts and on the need for additional screenings to find breast cancer.
“After three years, I am pleased that the FDA has finally communicated that they believe they will be able to roll out a rule requiring providers to notify women of whether they have dense breasts, what this means for their risk of breast cancer, and the importance of speaking with a health care provider about breast density,” said Chair DeLauro. “40 percent of women over 40 have dense breasts, and their risk of breast cancer is much higher. When it comes to surviving cancer, early detection is key, as 99 percent of women who receive an early diagnosis survive it. I was proud to help enact the Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act, which required FDA to develop this policy. Let me be clear: women’s lives are at stake. I urge the FDA to move swiftly to release the final rule before the end of the year.”
Last week, DeLauro asked the FDA to provide an update within the week on the status of the development of the breast density notification rule. The FDA’s response arrived shortly after, acknowledging that the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) final rule would publish before the end of the 2022 calendar year or early 2023.
As the lead Democrat on the Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, DeLauro fought for the inclusion of the Breast Density Mammography Act in the 2019 funding bill to require FDA to develop this rule. This legislation was signed into law on February 15, 2019.
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