[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 49 (Wednesday, March 13, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9126-9127]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-04582]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2018-D-1540]


Considerations for the Inclusion of Adolescent Patients in Adult 
Oncology Clinical Trials; Guidance for Industry; Availability

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing 
the availability of a final guidance for industry entitled 
``Considerations for the Inclusion of Adolescent Patients in Adult 
Oncology Clinical Trials.'' The purpose of this guidance is to provide 
the pharmaceutical industry, clinical investigators, and institutional 
review boards with information to facilitate the inclusion of 
adolescent patients (for purposes of this guidance, defined as ages 12 
to 17) in relevant adult oncology clinical trials. The guidance focuses 
on appropriate patient selection criteria for the inclusion of 
adolescent patients in adult oncology clinical trials at various stages 
of drug development, considerations for dosing and pharmacokinetic 
evaluations, safety monitoring, and ethical considerations.

DATES: The announcement of the guidance is published in the Federal 
Register on March 13, 2019.

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-2018-D-1540 for ``Considerations for the Inclusion of Adolescent 
Patients in Adult Oncology Clinical Trials.'' 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/

[[Page 9127]]

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 this 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; 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 requests. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for electronic 
access to the draft guidance document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Meredith K. Chuk, Center for Drug 
Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Bldg. 22, Rm. 
2220, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring MD 20993-0002, 301-796-
5006; 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 is announcing the availability of a guidance for industry 
entitled ``Considerations for the Inclusion of Adolescent Patients in 
Adult Oncology Clinical Trials.'' The purpose of this guidance is to 
provide the pharmaceutical industry, clinical investigators, and 
institutional review boards with information to facilitate the 
inclusion of adolescent patients (for purposes of this guidance, 
defined as ages 12 to 17) in relevant adult oncology clinical trials. 
The following topics are the focus of this guidance: (1) Appropriate 
patient selection criteria for the inclusion of adolescent patients in 
adult oncology clinical trials at various stages of drug development, 
(2) considerations for dosing and pharmacokinetic evaluations, (3) 
safety monitoring, and (4) ethical considerations. This guidance 
finalizes the draft guidance of the same name issued on June 4, 2018 
(83 FR 25675). All the public comments received on the draft guidance 
have been considered and the guidance has been revised as appropriate.
    This guidance is being issued consistent with FDA's good guidance 
practices regulation (21 CFR 10.115). The guidance represents the 
current thinking of FDA on ``Considerations for the Inclusion of 
Adolescent Patients in Adult Oncology Clinical Trials.'' 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.

II. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

    This 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 collection of information in 21 CFR part 312 have been 
approved under OMB control number 0910-0014. The collection of 
information in 21 CFR parts 50 and 56 have been approved under OMB 
control numbers 0910-0755 and 0910-0130. The information collection 
resulting from Clinical Trial Data Monitoring Committees has been 
approved under OMB control number 0910-0581. The information collection 
in the ``Guidance for Industry: Oversight of Clinical Investigations; A 
Risk-Based Approach to Monitoring'' has been approved under OMB control 
number 0910-0733.

III. Electronic Access

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

    Dated: March 7, 2019.
Lowell J. Schiller,
Acting Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2019-04582 Filed 3-12-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4164-01-P