[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 235 (Friday, December 8, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57991-57993]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-26442]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2017-D-6294]


Changes to Existing Medical Software Policies Resulting From 
Section 3060 of the 21st Century Cures Act; Draft Guidance for Industry 
and Food and Drug Administration Staff; Availability

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Page 57992]]

SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing 
the availability of the draft guidance entitled ``Changes to Existing 
Medical Software Policies Resulting from Section 3060 of the 21st 
Century Cures Act.'' This draft guidance provides clarity on FDA's 
current thinking regarding changes made by the 21st Century Cures Act 
(Cures Act) to the definition of a medical device and the resulting 
effect on guidances related to medical device software. This draft 
guidance is not final nor is it in effect at this time.

DATES: Submit either electronic or written comments on the draft 
guidance by February 6, 2018 to ensure that the Agency considers your 
comment on this draft guidance before it begins work on the final 
version of the guidance.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on any guidance at any time 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): Dockets Management Staff (HFA-305), Food and Drug 
Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.
     For written/paper comments submitted to the Dockets 
Management Staff, 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-2017-D-6294 for ``Changes to Existing Medical Software Policies 
Resulting from Section 3060 of the 21st Century Cures Act; Draft 
Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; 
Availability.'' 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 Dockets Management 
Staff 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 Dockets Management Staff. 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: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-09-18/pdf/2015-23389.pdf.
    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 Dockets Management Staff, 5630 Fishers Lane, 
Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.
    You may submit comments on any guidance at any time (see 21 CFR 
10.115(g)(5)).
    An electronic copy of the guidance document is available for 
download from the internet. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 
for information on electronic access to the guidance. Submit written 
requests for a single hard copy of the draft guidance document entitled 
``Changes to Existing Medical Software Policies Resulting from Section 
3060 of the 21st Century Cures Act'' to the Office of the Center 
Director, Guidance and Policy Development, Center for Devices and 
Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire 
Ave., Bldg. 66, Rm. 5431, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, or the Office 
of Communication, Outreach, and Development, Center for Biologics 
Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New 
Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 71, Rm. 3128, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002. Send 
one self-addressed adhesive label to assist that office in processing 
your request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bakul Patel, Center for Devices and 
Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire 
Ave., Bldg. 66, Rm. 5458, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, 301-796-5528, 
or Stephen Ripley, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food 
and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 71, Rm. 7301, 
Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, 240-402-7911.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    FDA has long regulated software that meets the definition of a 
device. Section 3060(a) of the Cures Act, enacted on December 13, 2016 
(Pub. L. 114-255), amended the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act 
(the FD&C Act) to exclude certain medical software functions from the 
definition of device under section 201(h) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 
321(h)). Under sections 520(o)(1)(A)-(D) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 
360j(o)(1)(A)-(D)), as added by the Cures Act, certain medical software 
functions are not medical devices, including software functions that 
are intended (1) for administrative support of a health care facility, 
(2) for maintaining or encouraging a healthy lifestyle, (3) to serve as 
electronic patient records, or (4) for transferring, storing, 
converting formats, or displaying data.
    This draft guidance explains the effect of the medical software 
provisions in the Cures Act on preexisting FDA policy, including policy 
on mobile medical applications; medical device

[[Page 57993]]

data systems used for the electronic transfer, storage, display, or 
conversion of medical device data; medical image storage devices, used 
to store or retrieve medical images electronically; medical image 
communications devices, used to transfer medical image data 
electronically between medical devices; software that automates 
laboratory workflow; and low-risk general wellness products. FDA 
intends to provide clarification of its interpretation of section 
520(o)(1)(E) of the FD&C Act, which is for software functions intended 
to provide decision support for the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, 
cure, or mitigation of disease or other conditions (often referred to 
as clinical decision support software) in a separate guidance document. 
Section 520(o)(2) of the FD&C Act describes the regulation of a product 
with multiple functions, including at least one device function and at 
least one software function that is not a device. FDA also intends to 
provide recommendations on the regulation of such products with 
multifunctionality in a separate guidance document.

II. Significance of Guidance

    This draft guidance is being issued consistent with FDA's good 
guidance practices regulation (21 CFR 10.115). The draft guidance, when 
finalized, will represent the current thinking of FDA on ``Changes to 
Existing Medical Software Policies Resulting from Section 3060 of the 
21st Century Cures Act.'' 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. This guidance is not subject to Executive 
Order 12866.

III. Electronic Access

    Persons interested in obtaining a copy of the draft guidance may do 
so by downloading an electronic copy from the Internet. A search 
capability for all Center for Devices and Radiological Health guidance 
documents is available at https://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/DeviceRegulationandGuidance/GuidanceDocuments/default.htm. Guidance 
documents are also available at https://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/default.htm or https://www.regulations.gov. Persons unable to download 
an electronic copy of ``Changes to Existing Medical Software Policies 
Resulting from Section 3060 of the 21st Century Cures Act'' may send an 
email request to [email protected] to receive an electronic 
copy of the document. Please use the document number 17030 to identify 
the guidance you are requesting.

IV. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

    This draft 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 820 have been approved under 
OMB control number 0910-0073; the collections of information in 21 CFR 
part 807, subpart E, have been approved under OMB control number 0910-
0120; the collections of information in 21 CFR part 803 have been 
approved under OMB control number 0910-0437; and the collections of 
information in 21 CFR parts 801 and 809 have been approved under OMB 
control number 0910-0485.

    Dated: December 4, 2017.
Leslie Kux,
Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2017-26442 Filed 12-7-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4164-01-P