[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 223 (Friday, November 18, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81776-81778]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-27840]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2016-N-3535]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Guidance for Industry on Special Protocol Assessment

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 information collection in 
the guidance for industry on special protocol assessment.

DATES: Submit either electronic or written comments on the collection 
of information by January 17, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments as follows:

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): 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-2016-N-3535 for ``Agency Information Collection Activities: 
Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Guidance for Industry on Special 
Protocol Assessment.'' Received comments will be placed in the docket 
and, except for those submitted as ``Confidential Submissions,'' 
publicly viewable at https://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 https://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 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 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 
St., 10A-12M, 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

[[Page 81777]]

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 on Special Protocol Assessment--OMB Control 
Number 0910-0470--Extension

    The ``Guidance for Industry on Special Protocol Assessment'' 
describes Agency procedures to evaluate issues related to the adequacy 
(e.g., design, conduct, analysis) of certain proposed studies. The 
guidance describes procedures for sponsors to request special protocol 
assessment and for the Agency to act on such requests. The guidance 
provides information on how the Agency interprets and applies 
provisions of the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 
1997 and the specific Prescription Drug User Fee Act of 1992 (PDUFA) 
goals for special protocol assessment associated with the development 
and review of PDUFA products. The guidance describes the following two 
collections of information: (1) The submission of a notice of intent to 
request special protocol assessment of a carcinogenicity protocol and 
(2) the submission of a request for special protocol assessment.

I. Notification for a Carcinogenicity Protocol

    As described in the guidance, a sponsor interested in Agency 
assessment of a carcinogenicity protocol should notify the appropriate 
division in FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) or the 
Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) of an intent to 
request special protocol assessment at least 30 days prior to 
submitting the request. With such notification, the sponsor should 
submit relevant background information so that the Agency may review 
reference material related to carcinogenicity protocol design prior to 
receiving the carcinogenicity protocol.

II. Request for Special Protocol Assessment

    The guidance asks that a request for special protocol assessment be 
submitted as an amendment to the investigational new drug application 
(IND) for the underlying product and that it be submitted to the Agency 
in triplicate with Form FDA 1571 attached. The guidance also suggests 
that the sponsor submit the cover letter to a request for special 
protocol assessment via fax to the appropriate division in CDER or 
CBER. Agency regulations (21 CFR 312.23(d)) state that information 
provided to the Agency as part of an IND is to be submitted in 
triplicate and with the appropriate cover form, Form FDA 1571. An IND 
is submitted to FDA under existing regulations in part 312 (21 CFR part 
312), which specifies the information that manufacturers must submit so 
that FDA may properly evaluate the safety and effectiveness of 
investigational drugs and biological products. The information 
collection requirements resulting from the preparation and submission 
of an IND under part 312 have been estimated by FDA and the reporting 
and recordkeeping burden has been approved by OMB under OMB control 
number 0910-0014.
    FDA suggests that the cover letter to the request for special 
protocol assessment be submitted via fax to the appropriate division in 
CDER or CBER to enable Agency staff to prepare for the arrival of the 
protocol for assessment. The Agency recommends that a request for 
special protocol assessment be submitted as an amendment to an IND for 
two reasons: (1) To ensure that each request is kept in the 
administrative file with the entire IND and (2) to ensure that 
pertinent information about the request is entered into the appropriate 
tracking databases. Use of the information in the Agency's tracking 
databases enables the appropriate Agency official to monitor progress 
on the evaluation of the protocol and to ensure that appropriate steps 
will be taken in a timely manner.
    The guidance recommends that the following information should be 
submitted to the appropriate Center with each request for special 
protocol assessment so that the Center may quickly and efficiently 
respond to the request:
     Questions to the Agency concerning specific issues 
regarding the protocol; and
     All data, assumptions, and information needed to permit an 
adequate evaluation of the protocol, including: (1) The role of the 
study in the overall development of the drug; (2) information 
supporting the proposed trial, including power calculations, the choice 
of study endpoints, and other critical design features; (3) regulatory 
outcomes that could be supported by the results of the study; (4) final 
labeling that could be supported by the results of the study; and (5) 
for a stability protocol, product characterization and relevant 
manufacturing data.
    Description of Respondents: A sponsor, applicant, or manufacturer 
of a drug or biologic product regulated by the Agency under the Federal 
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act or section 351 of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262) who requests special protocol assessment.
    Burden Estimate: Table 1 of this document provides an estimate of 
the annual reporting burden for notifications for a carcinogenicity 
protocol and requests for a special protocol assessment.
    Notification for a Carcinogenicity Protocol: Based on the number of 
notifications for carcinogenicity protocols and the number of 
carcinogenicity protocols currently submitted to CDER and CBER, CDER 
estimates that it will receive approximately 52 notifications of an 
intent to request special protocol assessment of a carcinogenicity 
protocol per year from approximately 28 sponsors. CBER estimates that 
it will receive approximately one notification of an intent to request 
special protocol assessment of a carcinogenicity protocol per year from 
approximately one sponsor. The hours per response, which is the 
estimated number of hours that a sponsor would spend preparing the 
notification and background information to be submitted in accordance 
with the guidance, is estimated to be approximately 8 hours.
    Requests for Special Protocol Assessment: Based on the number of 
requests for special protocol assessment currently submitted to CDER 
and CBER, CDER estimates that it will receive approximately 211 
requests for special protocol assessment per year from approximately 
112 sponsors. CBER estimates that it will receive approximately nine 
requests from approximately seven sponsors. The hours per response is 
the estimated number of hours that a respondent would spend preparing 
the information to be submitted with a request for special protocol 
assessment, including the time it takes to gather and copy questions to 
be posed to the Agency regarding the protocol and data, assumptions, 
and information needed to permit an adequate evaluation of the 
protocol. Based on the Agency's experience with these submissions, FDA 
estimates approximately 15 hours on average would be needed per 
response.
    FDA estimates the burden of this collection as follows:

[[Page 81778]]



                                 Table 1--Estimated Annual Reporting Burden \1\
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                                                     Number of
 Information collection activity     Number of     responses per   Total annual   Average burden    Total hours
                                    respondents     respondent       responses     per response
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Notification for Carcinogenicity              29             1.8              53               8             424
 Protocols......................
Requests for Special Protocol                119             1.8             220              15           3,300
 Assessment.....................
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    Total.......................  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............           3,724
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\1\ There are no capital costs or operating and maintenance costs associated with this collection.


    Dated: November 15, 2016.
Leslie Kux,
Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2016-27840 Filed 11-17-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4164-01-P