[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 242 (Friday, December 16, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 91179-91180]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-30309]



[[Page 91179]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2014-D-1352]


International Cooperation on Harmonisation of Technical 
Requirements for Registration of Veterinary Medicinal Products; 
Bioequivalence: Blood Level Bioequivalence Study; Guidance for 
Industry; Availability

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing 
the availability of guidance for industry (GFI) #224 entitled 
``Bioequivalence: Blood Level Bioequivalence Study'' (VICH GL52). This 
guidance has been developed for veterinary use by the International 
Cooperation on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration 
of Veterinary Medicinal Products (VICH). This VICH guidance document is 
intended to harmonize the data recommendations associated with in vivo 
blood level bioequivalence (BE) for veterinary pharmaceutical products.

DATES: Submit either electronic or written comments on Agency guidances 
at any time.

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-2014-D-1352 for ``Bioequivalence: Blood Level Bioequivalence 
Study.'' 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.
    Submit written requests for single copies of the guidance to the 
Policy and Regulations Staff (HFV-6), Center for Veterinary Medicine, 
Food and Drug Administration, 7519 Standish Pl., Rockville, MD 20855. 
Send one self-addressed adhesive label to assist that office in 
processing your requests. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for 
electronic access to the guidance document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marilyn Martinez, Center for 
Veterinary Medicine (HFV-100), Food and Drug Administration, 7500 
Standish Pl., Rockville, MD 20855, 240-402-0635, email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    In recent years, many important initiatives have been undertaken by 
regulatory authorities and industry associations to promote the 
international harmonization of regulatory requirements. FDA has 
participated in efforts to enhance harmonization and has expressed its 
commitment to seek scientifically based, harmonized technical 
procedures for the development of pharmaceutical products. One of the 
goals of harmonization is to identify, and then reduce, differences in 
technical requirements for drug development among regulatory agencies 
in different countries.
    FDA has actively participated in the International Council for 
Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human 
Use (ICH) for several years to develop harmonized technical 
requirements for the approval of human pharmaceutical and biological 
products among the European Union, Japan, and the United States. The 
VICH is a parallel initiative for veterinary medicinal products. The 
VICH is concerned with developing harmonized technical requirements for 
the approval of veterinary medicinal products in the European Union, 
Japan, and the United States, and includes input from both regulatory 
and industry representatives.
    The VICH Steering Committee is composed of member representatives 
from the European Commission and

[[Page 91180]]

European Medicines Agency; International Federation for Animal Health--
Europe; FDA; the U.S. Department of Agriculture; the U.S. Animal Health 
Institute; the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and 
Fisheries; and the Japanese Veterinary Products Association.
    Six observers are eligible to participate in the VICH Steering 
Committee: One representative from the government of Australia/New 
Zealand, one representative from the industry in Australia/New Zealand, 
one representative from the government of Canada, one representative 
from the industry of Canada, one representative from the government of 
South Africa, and one representative from the industry of South Africa. 
The VICH Secretariat, which coordinates the preparation of 
documentation, is provided by the International Federation for Animal 
Health (IFAH).

II. Guidance on Bioequivalence: Blood Level Bioequivalence Study

    In the Federal Register of September 24, 2014 (79 FR 57113), FDA 
published the notice of availability for a draft guidance for industry 
entitled ``Bioequivalence: Blood Level Bioequivalence Study'' (VICH 
GL52) giving interested persons until November 24, 2014, to comment on 
the draft guidance. FDA received one comment on the draft guidance, and 
that comment, as well as those received by other VICH member regulatory 
agencies, was considered as the guidance was finalized. The guidance 
announced in this notice finalizes the draft guidance dated September 
2014. The final guidance is a product of the Bioequivalence Expert 
Working Group of the VICH.
    This VICH guidance document is intended to harmonize the data 
recommendations associated with in vivo blood level bioequivalence (BE) 
for veterinary pharmaceutical products. To meet this objective, the 
guidance addresses the following topics: A harmonized definition of BE, 
factors/variables that should be considered when developing 
scientifically sound blood level BE study designs, and information that 
should be included in a blood level BE study report.

III. Significance of Guidance

    This guidance, developed under the VICH process, is being issued 
consistent with FDA's good guidance practices regulation (21 CFR 
10.115). For example, the document has been designated ``guidance'' 
rather than ``guideline.'' In addition, guidance documents must not 
include mandatory language such as ``shall,'' ``must,'' ``require,'' or 
``requirement,'' unless FDA is using these words to describe a 
statutory or regulatory requirement.
    This guidance represents the current thinking of FDA on 
``Bioequivalence: Blood Level Bioequivalence Study.'' It does not 
establish any rights for any person and is not binding on FDA or the 
public. You can use an alternative approach if it satisfies the 
requirements of the applicable statutes and regulations.

IV. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

    This guidance refers to previously approved collections of 
information found in FDA regulations. These collections of information 
are subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520). The 
collections of information in 21 CFR part 514 have been approved under 
OMB control number 0910-0032. The collections of information in section 
512(n)(1) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 360K) have been approved under OMB 
control number 0910-0669.

V. Electronic Access

    Persons with access to the Internet may obtain the guidance at 
either http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/GuidanceComplianceEnforcement/GuidanceforIndustry/default.htm or http://www.regulations.gov.

    Dated: December 12, 2016.
Leslie Kux,
Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2016-30309 Filed 12-15-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4164-01-P