[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 235 (Friday, December 10, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70507-70508]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-26699]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2020-D-2307]


Real-World Data: Assessing Electronic Health Records and Medical 
Claims Data To Support Regulatory Decision-Making for Drug and 
Biological Products; Draft Guidance for Industry; Reopening of the 
Comment Period

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability; reopening of the comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or the Agency) is 
reopening the comment period for the document entitled ``Real-World 
Data: Assessing Electronic Health Records and Medical Claims Data to 
Support Regulatory Decision-Making for Drug and Biological Products; 
Draft Guidance of Industry,'' published in the Federal Register on 
September 30, 2021. The Agency is taking this action to allow 
interested persons additional time to submit comments.

DATES: FDA is reopening the comment period on the draft guidance 
published September 30, 2021 (86 FR 54219). Submit either electronic or 
written comments by January 24, 2022.

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 January 24, 2022. The https://www.regulations.gov electronic filing system will accept comments until 
11:59 p.m. Eastern Time at the end of January 24, 2022. 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-D-2307 for ``Real-World Data: Assessing Electronic Health 
Records and Medical Claims Data to Support Regulatory Decision-Making 
for Drug and Biological Products; Draft Guidance for Industry.'' 
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, 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

[[Page 70508]]

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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dianne Paraoan, Center for Drug 
Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New 
Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 51, Rm. 3326, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, 301-
796-2500, [email protected]; 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, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the Federal Register of September 30, 
2021 (86 FR 54219), FDA published a notice of availability with a 60-
day period to provide comments on the draft guidance entitled ``Real-
World Data: Assessing Electronic Health Records and Medical Claims Data 
to Support Regulatory Decision-Making for Drug and Biological Products; 
Draft Guidance of Industry.'' This draft guidance is intended to 
provide sponsors, researchers, and other interested stakeholders with 
considerations when proposing to use electronic health records or 
medical claims data in clinical studies to support a regulatory 
decision for effectiveness or safety. Interested persons were 
originally given until November 29, 2021, to submit comments to the 
docket. FDA has received requests to extend the comment period to allow 
sufficient time to develop and submit meaningful comments. FDA has 
considered the requests and is extending the comment period until 
January 24, 2022. The Agency believes that reopening the comment period 
for 45 additional days allows adequate time for interested persons to 
submit comments.

    Dated: December 2, 2021.
Lauren K. Roth,
Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2021-26699 Filed 12-9-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4164-01-P