Tampons require federal clearance as medical devices

See Higher Prices on Tampons, Pads Prompt Hard Choices for Americans: Sales fall for feminine hygiene products as women try to make do with less by Natasha Khan of The WSJ. 

Governments want to solve the problem with more intervention. Maybe they could just remove barriers like the need for federal clearance. Excerpts:

"There aren’t many supermarket-brand or startup alternatives for these products in part because tampons require federal clearance as medical devices, and the barriers to entry are higher than for other hygiene products such as soap or shampoo."

"Some states are turning to legislation to address the issue. As of June, 28 states and the District of Columbia had passed laws to help provide free access to period products at school so that girls don’t miss school because of lack of supplies, according to the Alliance for Period Supplies, a nonprofit advocacy group. 

Efforts to remove taxes on menstrual products have had mixed results. As of June, 20 states, including Indiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, charged sales tax on period products—as they did on makeup, toys and electronics, the alliance said."