[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 72 (Tuesday, April 14, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20692-20693]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-07748]



[[Page 20692]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2020-N-0597]


Request for Information on Vaping Products Associated With Lung 
Injuries; Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice; 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 request for information (RFI) 
entitled ``Request for Information on Vaping Products Associated with 
Lung Injuries'' that appeared in the Federal Register of February 18, 
2020. In the RFI, FDA opened a docket to obtain data and information 
related to the use of vaping products that are associated with recent 
lung injuries. The Agency is taking this action in response to requests 
for an extension to allow interested persons additional time to submit 
comments.

DATES: FDA is extending the comment period on the request for 
information published February 18, 2020 (85 FR 8875). Submit either 
electronic or written comments by June 19, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments as follows. Please note that late, 
untimely filed comments will not be considered. Electronic comments 
must be submitted on or before June 19, 2020. The https://www.regulations.gov electronic filing system will accept comments until 
11:59 p.m. Eastern Time at the end of June 19, 2020. Comments received 
by mail/hand delivery/courier (for written/paper submissions) will be 
considered timely if they are postmarked or the delivery service 
acceptance receipt is on or before that date.

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-2020-N-0597 for ``Request for Information on Vaping Products 
Associated with Lung Injuries; Extension of Comment Period.'' Received 
comments, those filed in a timely manner (see ADDRESSES), 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.govinfo.gov/content/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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Samantha LohCollado, Center for 
Tobacco Products, Food and Drug Administration, Document Control 
Center, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 71, Rm. G335, Silver Spring, MD 
20993-0002, email: [email protected], 1-877-287-1373.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the Federal Register of February 18, 2020 
(85 FR 8875), FDA published a request for information with a 60-day 
comment period to open a docket to obtain data and information related 
to the use of vaping products associated with recent lung injuries. The 
request for information responded to direction from Congress to gather 
information from the public that could help identify and evaluate 
additional steps the Agency could take to ``address the recent 
pulmonary illnesses reported to be associated with the use of e-
cigarettes and vaping products.'' FDA seeks to obtain information on 
product design and potential ways to prevent consumers from modifying 
or adding substances to these products that are not intended by the 
manufacturers. In particular, FDA requests data and information in the 
form of reports and manuscripts that are unpublished or not available 
through indexed bibliographic databases. FDA has searched the publicly 
available scientific literature and is now seeking to supplement that 
with information not included in the published scientific literature.
    The Agency has received requests for an extension of the comment 
period for the request for information. The requests conveyed concern 
that the current 60-day comment period does not allow sufficient time 
to submit data and information related to the use of

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vaping products associated with recent lung injuries.
    FDA has considered the requests and is extending the comment period 
for the draft guidance for industry for 60 days, until June 19, 2020. 
The Agency believes that a 60-day extension allows adequate time for 
interested persons to submit comments.

    Dated: April 7, 2020.
Lowell J. Schiller,
Principal Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2020-07748 Filed 4-13-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4164-01-P