[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 226 (Monday, November 23, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74736-74737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-25726]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2018-D-0943]


Elemental Impurities in Animal Drug Products--Questions and 
Answers; 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 #255 entitled 
``Elemental Impurities in Animal Drug Products--Questions and 
Answers.'' This guidance provides recommendations to sponsors regarding 
the control of elemental impurities in animal drug products, including 
all dosage forms and routes of administration.

DATES: The announcement of the guidance is published in the Federal 
Register on November 23, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit either electronic or written comments on 
Agency guidances 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-0943 for ``Elemental Impurities in Animal Drug Products--
Questions and Answers.'' 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, 240-
402-7500.
     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, 240-402-7500.
    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 guidance to the 
Policy and Regulations Staff (HFV-6), Center for Veterinary Medicine, 
Food and Drug Administration, 7500 Standish Pl., Rockville, MD 20855. 
Send one self-addressed adhesive label to assist that office in 
processing your requests. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for 
electronic access to the guidance document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Brent, Center for Veterinary 
Medicine (HFV-140), Food and Drug Administration, 7500 Standish Pl., 
Rockville, MD 20855, 240-402-0647, [email protected] or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    In the Federal Register of March 27, 2018 (83 FR 13134), FDA 
published the notice of availability for a draft guidance entitled 
``Elemental Impurities in Animal Drug Products--Questions and 
Answers,'' giving interested persons until May 29, 2018, to comment on 
the draft guidance. On August 15, 2018, we published a notice reopening 
the comment period to October 15, 2018 (83 FR 40524). FDA received 
comments on the draft guidance, and those comments were considered as 
the guidance was finalized. The guidance announced in this notice 
finalizes the draft guidance dated March 2018.
    This level 1 guidance is being issued consistent with FDA's good 
guidance

[[Page 74737]]

practices regulation (21 CFR 10.115). The guidance represents the 
current thinking of FDA on elemental impurities in animal drug 
products. 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.

II. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

    This guidance contains no collection of information. Therefore, 
clearance by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521) is not 
required.
    However, this guidance refers to previously approved FDA 
collections of information. These collections of information are 
subject to review by OMB under the PRA. The collections of information 
in section 512(n)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 
U.S.C. 360b(n)(1)) have been approved under OMB control number 0910-
0669; the collections of information in 21 CFR part 514 have been 
approved under OMB control number 0910-0032.

III. Electronic Access

    Persons with access to the internet may obtain the guidance at 
either https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/guidance-regulations/guidance-industry or https://www.regulations.gov.

    Dated: November 17, 2020.
Lauren K. Roth,
Acting Principal Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2020-25726 Filed 11-20-20; 8:45 am]
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