[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 18 (Friday, January 26, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3739-3740]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-01349]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2017-D-5570]


Select Updates for Recommendations for Clinical Laboratory 
Improvement Amendments of 1988 Waiver Applications for Manufacturers of 
In Vitro Diagnostic Devices; Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and 
Drug Administration Staff; Availability; Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or the Agency) is 
extending the comment period for the notice of availability that 
appeared in the Federal Register of November 29, 2017. In the notice of 
availability, FDA requested comments on draft guidance for industry and 
FDA staff entitled ``Select Updates for Recommendations for Clinical 
Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) Waiver Applications 
for Manufacturers of In Vitro Diagnostic Devices.'' The Agency is 
taking this action in response to a request for an extension to allow 
interested persons additional time to submit comments.

DATES: FDA is extending the comment period on the document published 
November 29, 2017 (82 FR 56607). Submit either electronic or written 
comments on the draft guidance by March 30, 2018, to ensure that the 
Agency considers your comment on this draft guidance before it begins 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-5570 for ``Select Updates for Recommendations for Clinical 
Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) Waiver Applications 
for Manufacturers of In Vitro Diagnostic Devices; 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

[[Page 3740]]

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 
``Select Updates for Recommendations for Clinical Laboratory 
Improvement Amendments of 1988 Waiver Applications for Manufacturers of 
In Vitro Diagnostic Devices'' 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. Send one self-addressed 
adhesive label to assist that office in processing your request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marina Kondratovich, Center for 
Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 
New Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 66, Rm. 4672, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, 
301-796-6036; or Peter Tobin, Center for Devices and Radiological 
Health, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 
66, Rm. 5657, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, 240-402-6169.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    In the Federal Register of November 29, 2017, FDA published a 
notice of availability with a 60-day comment period to request comments 
on draft guidance for industry and FDA staff entitled ``Select Updates 
for Recommendations for Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 
1988 (CLIA) Waiver Applications for Manufacturers of In Vitro 
Diagnostic Devices.''
    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 the FDA on the 
guiding principles and recommended approach for FDA staff and industry 
to facilitate consistent application of least burdensome principles to 
the activities pertaining to products meeting the statutory definition 
of a device regulated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic 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 draft 
guidance is not subject to Executive Order 12866.
    The Agency has received a request for a 60-day extension of the 
comment period. The request conveyed concern that the current 60-day 
comment period does not allow sufficient time to develop a meaningful 
or thoughtful response.
    FDA has considered the request and is extending the comment period 
for the notice of availability for 60 days, until March 30, 2018. The 
Agency believes that a 60-day extension allows adequate time for 
interested persons to submit comments without significantly delaying 
guidance on these important issues.

II. 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: January 19, 2018.
Leslie Kux,
Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2018-01349 Filed 1-25-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4164-01-P