[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 154 (Friday, August 11, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54622-54624]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-17261]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2018-D-1922]


Formal Meetings Between the Food and Drug Administration and 
Sponsors or Applicants of Biosimilar User Fee Act Products; Draft 
Guidance for Industry; Availability

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

[[Page 54623]]


ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing 
the availability of a draft guidance for industry entitled ``Formal 
Meetings Between the FDA and Sponsors or Applicants of BsUFA 
Products.'' This draft guidance provides recommendations to industry on 
formal meetings between FDA and sponsors or applicants relating to the 
development and review of biosimilar or interchangeable biosimilar 
products regulated by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research 
(CDER) or the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). This 
draft guidance for industry revises and replaces the draft guidance of 
the same name issued in June 2018.

DATES: Submit either electronic or written comments on the draft 
guidance by October 10, 2023 to ensure that the Agency considers your 
comment on this draft guidance before it begins work on the final 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-2018-D-1922 for ``Formal Meetings Between the Food and Drug 
Administration and Sponsors or Applicants of Biosimilar User Fee Act 
Products.'' 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 draft 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 (CBER), 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 guidance document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sandra Benton, Center for Drug 
Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New 
Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 22, Rm. 1132, Silver Spring, MD 20993, 301-796-
1042, [email protected]; or Anne Taylor, 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 draft guidance for industry 
entitled ``Formal Meetings Between the FDA and Sponsors or Applicants 
of BsUFA Products.'' This draft guidance provides recommendations to 
industry on formal meetings between FDA and sponsors or applicants 
relating to the development and review of biosimilar or interchangeable 
biosimilar products regulated by CDER or CBER. This draft guidance does 
not apply to meetings associated with the development of products 
intended for submission in, or review of, new drug applications or 
abbreviated new drug applications under section 505 of the Federal 
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) (21 U.S.C. 355), biologics 
license applications (BLAs) under section 351(a) of the Public Health 
Service Act (PHS Act) (42 U.S.C. 262(a)), or submissions for devices 
under the FD&C Act. For the purposes of this draft guidance, a formal 
meeting includes any meeting that is requested by a sponsor or 
applicant following the procedures provided in this draft guidance and 
includes meetings conducted in any

[[Page 54624]]

format (i.e., in-person, virtual (video conference), teleconference, or 
written response only). This guidance discusses the principles of good 
meeting management practices and describes standardized procedures for 
requesting, preparing, scheduling, conducting, and documenting such 
formal meetings.
    This draft guidance for industry revises and replaces the draft 
guidance of the same name issued on June 5, 2018 (83 FR 26060). This 
revision includes:

 Changes to the data expectations in Biosimilar Initial 
Advisory meeting requests
 Addition of Biological Product Development (BPD) Type 2a 
meeting
 Changes to when the meeting background package is submitted 
for BPD Type 4 meeting
 Changes to the description of the available meeting formats
 Addition of an option for a request for clarification

    FDA also made certain clarifying and editorial changes. Editorial 
changes were made primarily for clarification.
    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 FDA on ``Formal 
Meetings Between the FDA and Sponsors or Applicants of BsUFA 
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

    While this guidance contains no collection of information, it does 
refer to previously approved FDA collections 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 for this guidance. The previously approved collections of 
information are subject to review by OMB under the PRA. The collections 
of information in 21 CFR part 312 regarding sponsor requests to FDA 
related to the submission of an investigational new drug application 
have been approved under OMB control number 0910-0014. The collections 
of information in section 351(a) of the PHS Act and part 601 (21 CFR 
part 601) relating to the submission of a BLA have been approved under 
OMB control number 0910-0338. The collections of information in section 
351(k) of the PHS Act and part 601 relating to the submission of 
biosimilar applications and biosimilar user fee applications have been 
approved under OMB control number 0910-0718.

III. Electronic Access

    Persons with access to the internet may obtain the draft guidance 
at https://www.fda.gov/drugs/guidance-compliance-regulatory-information/guidances-drugs, https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/guidance-compliance-regulatory-information-biologics/biologics-guidances, https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents, or https://www.regulations.gov.

    Dated: August 7, 2023.
Lauren K. Roth,
Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2023-17261 Filed 8-10-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4164-01-P