[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 3 (Thursday, January 4, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 532-533]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-28435]


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

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2017-D-6854]


Good Abbreviated New Drug Application Submission Practices; Draft 
Guidance for Industry; Availability

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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

SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing 
the availability of a draft guidance for industry entitled ``Good ANDA 
Submission Practices.'' This guidance is intended to assist applicants 
preparing to submit to FDA abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs). 
This draft guidance highlights common, recurring deficiencies that may 
lead to a delay in the approval of an ANDA. It also makes 
recommendations to applicants on how to avoid these deficiencies with 
the goal of minimizing the number of review cycles necessary for 
approval.

DATES: Submit either electronic or written comments on the draft 
guidance by March 5, 2018 to ensure that the Agency considers your 
comment on this draft guidance before it begins work on the final 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-6854 for ``Good ANDA Submission Practices.'' 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

[[Page 533]]

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)).
    Submit written requests for single copies of the draft guidance to 
the Division of Drug Information, Center for Drug Evaluation and 
Research, Food and Drug Administration, 10001 New Hampshire Ave., 
Hillandale Building, 4th Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002. Send one 
self-addressed adhesive label to assist that office in processing your 
requests. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for electronic 
access to the draft guidance document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michelle Sollenberger, Center for Drug 
Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New 
Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 75, Rm. 1673, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, 240-
402-0981.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    FDA is announcing the availability of a draft guidance for industry 
entitled ``Good ANDA Submission Practices.'' This draft guidance is 
intended to assist applicants preparing to submit ANDAs to FDA. It 
highlights common, recurring deficiencies that may lead to a delay in 
the approval of an ANDA. This draft guidance also makes recommendations 
to applicants on how to avoid these deficiencies so that applicants can 
submit ANDAs that may be approved in the first review cycle. This draft 
guidance has been developed as part of FDA's ``Drug Competition Action 
Plan,'' which, in coordination with the Generic Drug User Fee 
Amendments (GDUFA I and II) (Pub. L. 112-144 and Pub. L. 115-52, 
respectively) and other FDA activities, is expected to increase 
competition in the market for prescription drugs, facilitate entry of 
high-quality and affordable generic drugs, and improve public health.
    In conjunction with this draft guidance, FDA is issuing a Good ANDA 
Assessment Practices Manual of Policies and Procedures, which 
establishes good ANDA assessment practices for the Office of Generic 
Drugs and the Office of Pharmaceutical Quality to increase their 
operational efficiency and effectiveness. This draft guidance and the 
Manual of Policies and Procedures are intended to build upon the 
success of the GDUFA program and to help reduce the number of review 
cycles for an ANDA to attain approval.
    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 good ANDA 
submission practices. 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 draft guidance is not subject to Executive Order 
12866.

II. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

    This draft guidance refers to previously approved collections of 
information that 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 the draft guidance have been 
approved under OMB control numbers 0910-0001 and 0910-0786.

III. Electronic Access

    Persons with access to the internet may obtain the draft guidance 
at either https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidances/default.htm or 
https://www.regulations.gov.

    Dated: December 26, 2017.
Leslie Kux,
Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2017-28435 Filed 1-3-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4164-01-P