[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 211 (Tuesday, November 1, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75826-75827]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-26258]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2013-N-1163]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Institutional Review Boards

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing an 
opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain 
information by the Agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(the 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 the recordkeeping requirements 
for institutional review boards (IRBs).

DATES: Submit either electronic or written comments on the collection 
of information by January 3, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments as follows:

Electronic Submissions

    Submit electronic comments in the following way:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Comments submitted 
electronically, including attachments, to http://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 http://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): Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug 
Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.
     For written/paper comments submitted to the Division of 
Dockets Management, 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-2013-N-1163 for ``Agency Information Collection Activities: 
Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Institutional Review Boards.'' 
Received comments will be placed in the docket and, except for those 
submitted as ``Confidential Submissions,'' publicly viewable at http://www.regulations.gov or at the Division of Dockets Management 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

[[Page 75827]]

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 http://www.regulations.gov. Submit both copies to the Division of 
Dockets Management. 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: http://www.fda.gov/regulatoryinformation/dockets/default.htm.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
the electronic and written/paper comments received, go to http://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 Division of Dockets Management, 5630 Fishers 
Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: FDA PRA Staff, Office of Operations, 
Food and Drug Administration, Three White Flint North, 11601 Landsdown 
Street, 10A63, North Bethesda, MD 20852, [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 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.

Institutional Review Boards--21 CFR 56.115

OMB Control Number 0910-0130--Extension

    When reviewing clinical research studies regulated by FDA, 
institutional review boards (IRBs) are required to create and maintain 
records describing their operations, and make the records available for 
FDA inspection when requested. These records include: Written 
procedures describing the structure and membership of the IRB and the 
methods that the IRB will use in performing its functions; the research 
protocols, informed consent documents, progress reports, and reports of 
injuries to subjects submitted by investigators to the IRB; minutes of 
meetings showing attendance, votes, and decisions made by the IRB; the 
number of votes on each decision for, against, and abstaining; the 
basis for requiring changes in or disapproving research; records of 
continuing review activities; copies of all correspondence between 
investigators and the IRB; statement of significant new findings 
provided to subjects of the research; a list of IRB members by name, 
showing each member's earned degrees, representative capacity, and 
experience in sufficient detail to describe each member's contributions 
to the IRB's deliberations; and any employment relationship between 
each member and the IRB's institution. This information is used by FDA 
in conducting audit inspections of IRBs to determine whether IRBs and 
clinical investigators are providing adequate protections to human 
subjects participating in clinical research.
    The recordkeeping requirement burden is based on the following 
information; the burden for the paragraphs under 21 CFR 56.115 has been 
considered as one estimated burden. This burden estimate assumes that 
there are approximately 2,520 IRBs, that each IRB meets on an average 
of 14.6 times annually, and that approximately 100 hours of person-time 
per meeting are required to meet the requirements of the regulation.
    FDA estimates the burden of this collection of information as 
follows:

                                                   Table 1--Estimated Annual Recordkeeping Burden \1\
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                                                                                      Number of                        Average  burden
                        21 CFR Section                              Number of        records per      Total annual           per           Total hours
                                                                  recordkeepers     recordkeeper         records        recordkeeper
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56.115........................................................            2,520              14.6            36,792               100         3,679,200
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\1\ There are no capital costs or operating and maintenance costs associated with this collection of information.


    Dated: October 26, 2016.
Leslie Kux,
Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2016-26258 Filed 10-31-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4164-01-P