[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 215 (Monday, November 7, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78170-78172]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-26792]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2013-N-0868]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Guidance for Industry: Use of Serological Tests To 
Reduce the Risk of Transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi Infection in Whole 
Blood and Blood Components Intended for Transfusion

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) 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 establishing notification of a 
consignee and consignee notification of a recipient's

[[Page 78171]]

physician of record regarding a possible increased risk of Trypanosoma 
cruzi (T. cruzi) infection.

DATES: Submit either electronic or written comments on the collection 
of information by January 6, 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-0868 for ``Guidance for Industry: Use of Serological Tests 
to Reduce the Risk of the Transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi Infection 
in Whole Blood and Blood Components Intended for Transfusion.'' 
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 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, 10A63, 11601 
Landsdown St., 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.

Guidance for Industry: Use of Serological Tests To Reduce the Risk of 
Transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi Infection in Whole Blood and Blood 
Components Intended for Transfusion

OMB Control Number 0910-0681--Extension

    The guidance document implements the donor screening 
recommendations for the FDA-approved serological test systems for the 
detection of antibodies to T. cruzi. The purpose of the donor screening 
tests is to reduce the risk of transmission of T. cruzi infection by 
detecting antibodies to T. cruzi in plasma and serum samples from 
individual human donors, including donors of Whole Blood and blood 
components intended for transfusion. The guidance recommends that 
establishments that manufacture Whole Blood and blood components 
intended for transfusion should notify consignees of all previously 
collected in-date blood and blood components to quarantine and return 
the blood components to establishments or to destroy them within 3 
calendar days after a donor tests repeatedly reactive by a licensed 
test for T. cruzi antibody. When establishments identify a donor who is 
repeatedly reactive by a licensed test for T. cruzi and positive on a 
licensed

[[Page 78172]]

supplemental test, we recommend that the establishment notify 
consignees of all previously distributed blood and blood components 
collected during the lookback period and, if blood and blood components 
were transfused, encourage consignees to notify the recipient's 
physician of record of a possible increased risk of T. cruzi infection.
    Respondents to this information collection are establishments that 
manufacture Whole Blood and blood components intended for transfusion. 
We believe that the information collection provisions in the guidance 
for establishments to notify consignees and for consignees to notify 
the recipient's physician of record in the guidance do not create a new 
burden for respondents and are part of usual and customary business 
practices. Since the end of January 2007, a number of blood centers 
representing a large proportion of U.S. blood collections have been 
testing donors using a licensed assay. We believe these establishments 
have already developed standard operating procedures for notifying 
consignees and for the consignees to notify the recipient's physician 
of record.
    The guidance also refers to previously approved collections of 
information found in FDA regulations. The collections of information in 
21 CFR 601.12 have been approved under OMB control number 0910-0338; 
the collections of information in 21 CFR 606.100, 606.121, 606.122, 
606.160(b)(ix), 606.170(b), 610.40, and 630.6 have been approved under 
OMB control number 0910-0116; the collections of information in 21 CFR 
606.171 have been approved under OMB control number 0910-0458.

    Dated: November 1, 2016.
Leslie Kux,
Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2016-26792 Filed 11-4-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4164-01-P