[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 72 (Friday, April 13, 2018)] [Notices] [Pages 16108-16110] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2018-07684] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2018-N-1111] Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Permanent Discontinuation or Interruption in Manufacturing of Certain Drug and Biological Products AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the Agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), Federal Agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information, and to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits comments on ``Permanent Discontinuation or Interruption in Manufacturing of Certain Drug and Biological Products.'' DATES: Submit either electronic or written comments on the collection of information by June 12, 2018. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments as follows. Please note that late, untimely filed comments will not be considered. Electronic comments must be submitted on or before June 12, 2018. The https://www.regulations.gov electronic filing system will accept comments until midnight Eastern Time at the end of June 12, 2018. Comments received by mail/hand delivery/courier (for written/paper submissions) will be considered timely if they are postmarked or the delivery service acceptance receipt is on or before that date. Electronic Submissions Submit electronic comments in the following way:Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Comments submitted electronically, including attachments, to https://www.regulations.gov will be posted to the docket unchanged. Because your comment will be made public, you are solely responsible for ensuring that your comment does not include any confidential information that you or a third party may not wish to be posted, such as medical information, your or anyone else's Social Security number, or confidential business information, such as a manufacturing process. Please note that if you include your name, contact information, or other information that identifies you in the body of your comments, that information will be posted on https://www.regulations.gov. If you want to submit a comment with confidential information that you do not wish to be made available to the public, submit the comment as a written/paper submission and in the manner detailed (see ``Written/Paper Submissions'' and ``Instructions''). Written/Paper Submissions Submit written/paper submissions as follows: Mail/Hand delivery/Courier (for written/paper submissions): Dockets Management Staff (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. For written/paper comments submitted to the Dockets Management Staff, FDA will post your comment, as well as any attachments, except for information submitted, marked and identified, as confidential, if submitted as detailed in ``Instructions.'' Instructions: All submissions received must include the Docket No. FDA-2018-N-1111 for ``Permanent Discontinuation or Interruption in Manufacturing of Certain Drug and Biological Products.'' Received comments, those filed in a timely manner (see ADDRESSES), will be placed in the docket and, except for those submitted as ``Confidential Submissions,'' publicly viewable at https://www.regulations.gov or at the Dockets Management Staff between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Confidential Submissions--To submit a comment with confidential information that you do not wish to be made publicly available, submit your comments only as a written/paper submission. You should submit two copies total. One copy will include the information you claim to be confidential with a heading or cover note that states ``THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.'' The Agency will review this copy, including the claimed confidential information, in its consideration of comments. The second copy, which will have the claimed confidential information redacted/blacked out, will be available for public viewing and posted on https://www.regulations.gov. Submit both copies to the Dockets Management Staff. If you do not wish your name and contact information to be made publicly available, you can provide this information on the cover sheet and not in the body of your comments and you must identify this information as ``confidential.'' Any information marked as ``confidential'' will not be disclosed except in accordance with 21 CFR 10.20 and other applicable disclosure law. For more information about FDA's posting of comments to public dockets, see 80 FR 56469, September 18, 2015, or access the information at: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-09-18/pdf/2015-23389.pdf. Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or the electronic and written/paper comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov and insert the docket number, found in brackets in the heading of this document, into the ``Search'' box and follow the prompts and/or go to the Dockets Management Staff, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Domini Bean, Office of Operations, Food and Drug Administration, Three White Flint North, 10A-12M, 11601 Landsdown St., North Bethesda, MD 20852, 301-796-5733, [email protected]. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal Agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. ``Collection of information'' is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c) and includes Agency requests or requirements that members of the public submit reports, keep records, or [[Page 16109]] provide information to a third party. Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)) requires Federal Agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information, before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To comply with this requirement, FDA is publishing notice of the proposed collection of information set forth in this document. With respect to the following collection of information, FDA invites comments on these topics: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of FDA's functions, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of FDA's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques, when appropriate, and other forms of information technology. Permanent Discontinuation or Interruption in Manufacturing of Certain Drug and Biological Products--21 CFR 310.306, 314.81(b)(3)(iii), and 600.82 OMB Control Number 0910-0759--Extension Sections 310.306, 314.81(b)(3)(iii), and 600.82 (21 CFR 310.306, 314.81(b)(3)(iii), and 600.82) were modified to implement sections 506C and 506E of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 356c and 356e) as amended by the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act. Under these sections, applicants with an approved new drug application (NDA) or abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for a covered drug product, manufacturers of a covered drug product marketed without an approved application, and applicants with an approved biologics license application (BLA) for a covered biological product (including certain applications of blood or blood components) must notify FDA in writing of a permanent discontinuance of the manufacture of the drug or biological product, or an interruption in manufacturing of the drug or biological product, that is likely to lead to a meaningful disruption in the applicant's supply (or a significant disruption for blood or blood components) of that product. The notification is required if the drug or biological product is life supporting, life sustaining, or intended for use in the prevention or treatment of a debilitating disease or condition, including use in emergency medical care or during surgery, and if the drug or biological product is not a radiopharmaceutical drug product. The regulations also require that the notification include the following information: (1) The name of the drug or biological product subject to the notification, including the National Drug Code Directory (NDC) (or, for a biological product that does not have an NDC, an alternative standard for identification and labeling that has been recognized as acceptable by the Center Director); (2) the name of each applicant of the drug or biological product; (3) whether the notification relates to a permanent discontinuance of the drug or biological product or an interruption in manufacturing of the product; (4) a description of the reason for the permanent discontinuance or interruption in manufacturing; and (5) the estimated duration of the interruption in manufacturing. The notification must be submitted to FDA electronically at least 6 months prior to the date of the permanent discontinuance or interruption in manufacturing. If 6 months' advance notice is not possible because the permanent discontinuance or interruption in manufacturing was unanticipated 6 months in advance, the applicant must notify FDA as soon as practicable, but in no case later than 5 business days after the permanent discontinuance or interruption in manufacturing occurs. If an applicant fails to submit the required notification, FDA will issue a letter informing the applicant or manufacturer of its noncompliance. The applicant must submit to FDA, not later than 30 calendar days after FDA issues the letter, a written response setting forth the basis for noncompliance and providing the required notification. Description of Respondents: Applicants of prescription drugs and biological products subject to an approved NDA, ANDA, or BLA, and manufacturers of prescription drug products marketed without an approved ANDA or NDA, if the product is life supporting, life sustaining, or intended for use in the prevention or treatment of a debilitating disease or condition, including use in emergency medical care or during surgery, or is not a radiopharmaceutical product. If the BLA applicant is a manufacturer of blood or blood components, it is only subject to these regulations if it manufactures a significant percentage of the nation's blood supply. Burden Estimates: Based on the number of drug and biological product shortage related notifications we have seen in the past 12 months, we estimate that annually a total of approximately 75 respondents (``No. of Respondents'' in table 1) will notify us of a permanent discontinuance of the manufacture of a drug or biological product or an interruption in manufacturing of a drug or biological product that is likely to lead to a meaningful disruption in the respondent's supply of that product. We estimate that these respondents will submit annually a total of approximately 352.5 notifications as required under Sec. Sec. 310.306, 314.81(b)(3)(iii), and 600.82. We estimate 4.7 notifications per respondent, because a respondent may experience multiple discontinuances or interruptions in manufacturing in a year that require notification (``No. of Responses per Respondent'' in table 1). We also estimate that preparing and submitting these notifications to FDA will take approximately 2 hours per respondent (``Average Burden per Response'' in table 1). FDA estimates the burden of this collection of information as follows: [[Page 16110]] Table 1--Estimated Reporting Burden \1\ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of 21 CFR section Number of responses per Total annual Average burden Total hours respondents respondent responses per response -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notifications required under Sec. Sec. 310.306 (unapproved 75 4.7 352.5 2 705 drugs), 314.81(b)(3)(iii) (products approved under an NDA or ANDA), and 600.82 (products approved under a BLA)................. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \1\ There are no capital costs or operating and maintenance costs associated with this collection of information. The estimated burden for this information collection has changed since the previous OMB approval. The current burden is based on the number of actual new notifications received including notifications that were counted previously under the OMB approval for the interim final rule entitled ``Permanent Discontinuance or Interruption in Manufacturing of Certain Drug or Biological Products'' (80 FR 38915, July 8, 2015) (OMB control number 0910-0699). Dated: April 9, 2018. Leslie Kux, Associate Commissioner for Policy. [FR Doc. 2018-07684 Filed 4-12-18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4164-01-P