[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 229 (Tuesday, November 29, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 85977-85978]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-28660]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2016-D-2635]


The Judicious Use of Medically Important Antimicrobial Drugs in 
Food-Producing Animals; Establishing Appropriate Durations of 
Therapeutic Administration; Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is extending the 
comment period for a notice that appeared in the Federal Register of 
September 14, 2016. In that notice, FDA requested comments regarding 
the establishment of appropriately targeted durations of use of 
antimicrobial drugs of importance to human medicine (i.e., medically 
important antimicrobial drugs) when they are administered in the feed 
or water of food-producing animals for therapeutic purposes. The Agency 
is taking this action in response to requests for an extension to allow 
interested persons additional time to submit comments.

DATES: FDA is extending the comment period on the request for comments

[[Page 85978]]

published September 14, 2016 (81 FR 63187). Submit either electronic or 
written comments by March 13, 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-2016-D-2635 for ``Establishing Appropriate Durations of Therapeutic 
Administration.'' 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: Cindy Burnsteel, Center for Veterinary 
Medicine (HFV-130), Food and Drug Administration, 7500 Standish Pl., 
Rockville, MD 20855, 240-402-0817, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the Federal Register of September 14, 
2016 (81 FR 63187), FDA solicited comments regarding the establishment 
of appropriate durations of use of antimicrobial drugs of importance to 
human medicine when administered in the feed or water of food-producing 
animals for therapeutic purposes with a 90-day comment period.
    The Agency has received requests for an extension of the comment 
period. These requests conveyed concern that the current 90-day comment 
period does not allow sufficient time to develop a meaningful or 
thoughtful response to the request for comments.
    FDA has considered the requests and is extending the comment period 
for 90 additional days, until March 13, 2017. The Agency believes that 
a 90-day extension allows adequate time for interested persons to 
submit comments without significantly delaying FDA's consideration of 
these important issues.

    Dated: November 22, 2016.
Leslie Kux,
Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2016-28660 Filed 11-28-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4164-01-P