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WASHINGTON — The over-the-counter drug industry is about to get overhauled.

Congressional lawmakers tucked a long-stalled package of reforms to the multibillion-dollar OTC drug industry into its $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package this week, after the industry argued that it could play a key role in the country’s coronavirus response.

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America’s system for regulating over-the-counter products like Tylenol is over 40 years old. Under the current system, the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t approve over-the-counter drugs before they hit the market, and the agency has struggled to enforce basic safety requirements for the thousands of products currently being sold.

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