[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 67 (Wednesday, April 9, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15244-15246]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-06048]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2017-N-5925]


21st Century Cures Act: Annual Compilation of Notices of Updates 
From the Susceptibility Test Interpretive Criteria Web Page; Request 
for Comments

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, the Agency, or we) is 
announcing the availability of the Agency's annual compilation of 
notices of updates to the Agency's Susceptibility Test Interpretive 
Criteria web page. The Agency established the Susceptibility Test 
Interpretive Criteria web page on December 13, 2017, and

[[Page 15245]]

since establishment has provided updates to both the format of the web 
pages and the susceptibility test interpretive criteria identified and 
recognized by FDA on the web pages. FDA is publishing this notice in 
accordance with procedures established by the 21st Century Cures Act 
(Cures Act).

DATES: This notice is published in the Federal Register on April 9, 
2025.

ADDRESSES: You may submit either electronic or written comments and 
information 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 below (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-2017-N-5925 for ``Susceptibility Test Interpretive Criteria 
Recognized and Listed on the Susceptibility Test Interpretive web page; 
Request for Comments.'' 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Deborah Kim, Center for Drug 
Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New 
Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 22, Rm. 6349, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, 301-
796-9053, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    Section 511A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) 
(21 U.S.C. 360a-2), as added by section 3044 of the Cures Act (Pub. L. 
114-255), was signed into law on December 13, 2016. This provision 
clarified FDA's authority to identify and efficiently update 
susceptibility test interpretive criteria, including through the 
recognition by FDA of standards established by standards development 
organizations (SDOs). It also clarified that sponsors of antimicrobial 
susceptibility testing devices may rely on listed susceptibility test 
interpretive criteria to support premarket authorization of their 
devices, provided they meet certain conditions, which allows for a more 
streamlined process for incorporating up-to-date information into such 
devices.
    In the Federal Register notice of December 13, 2017 (82 FR 58617), 
FDA announced the establishment of the Susceptibility Test Interpretive 
Criteria web page. This web page recognizes susceptibility test 
interpretive criteria established by an SDO that fulfills the 
requirements under section 511A(b)(2)(A) of the FD&C Act; identifies 
when FDA does not recognize, in whole or in part, susceptibility test 
interpretive criteria established by an SDO; and lists susceptibility 
test interpretive criteria identified by FDA outside the SDO process. 
The susceptibility test interpretive criteria listed by FDA on the 
Susceptibility Test Interpretive Criteria web page is deemed to be 
recognized as a standard under section 514(c)(1) of the FD&C Act (21 
U.S.C. 360d(c)(1)). The Susceptibility Test Interpretive Criteria web 
page can be found at https://www.fda.gov/STIC.
    On March 1, 2018, FDA published a notice in the Federal Register 
(83 FR 8883) requesting comments on FDA's initial susceptibility test 
interpretive criteria recognition and listing determinations on the 
Susceptibility Test Interpretive Criteria web page (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/03/01/2018-04175/susceptibility-test-interpretive-criteria-recognized-and-listed-on-the-susceptibility-test). FDA may consider information provided by interested third 
parties as a basis for evaluating new or updated interpretive criteria 
standards (section 511A(c)(2)(B) of the FD&C Act); third parties should 
submit any information they wish to convey to the Agency to Docket No. 
FDA-2017-N-5925. If comments are received, FDA will review those 
comments and will make, as appropriate, updates to the recognized 
standards or susceptibility test interpretive criteria.
    At least every 6 months after the establishment of the 
Susceptibility Test Interpretive Criteria web page, FDA is

[[Page 15246]]

required, as appropriate to: (1) publish on that web page a notice 
recognizing new or updated susceptibility test interpretive criteria 
standards, or recognizing or declining to recognize parts of standards; 
(2) withdraw recognition of susceptibility test interpretive criteria 
standards, or parts of standards; and (3) make any other necessary 
updates to the lists published on the Susceptibility Test Interpretive 
Criteria web page (section 511A(c)(1)(A) of the FD&C Act). FDA has 
provided notices of updates on the Susceptibility Test Interpretive 
Criteria web page, which can be found here: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/development-resources/notice-updates. Interested parties may also sign 
up to receive emails informing them of these updates as they occur by 
using the link provided either on the main Susceptibility Test 
Interpretive Criteria web page (https://www.fda.gov/STIC) or on the 
updates page.
    Once a year, FDA is required to compile the new notices published 
on the Susceptibility Test Interpretive Criteria web page, publish them 
in the Federal Register, and provide for public comment (see section 
511A(c)(3) of the FD&C Act). This Federal Register notice satisfies 
that requirement. If comments are received, FDA will review them and 
make updates to the recognized standards or susceptibility test 
interpretive criteria as needed.

II. Annual Compilation of Notices, 2024: Susceptibility Test 
Interpretive Criteria Web Page

A. Updates to Standards Recognition

    As of May 28, 2024, the following standards are no longer 
recognized: ``Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). 
Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing, 33rd 
ed. CLSI supplement M100. Wayne, PA: Clinical and Laboratory Standards 
Institute; 2023.''
    As of May 28, 2024, with certain exceptions, FDA recognizes the 
standard published in: ``Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute 
(CLSI). Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing, 
34th ed. CLSI supplement M100. Wayne, PA: Clinical and Laboratory 
Standards Institute; 2024.''

B. Updates by Drug

                    Table 1--Notices of Updates to Recognized or Updated Susceptibility Test Interpretive Criteria (STIC) by Drug \1\
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                 Drug                      Route of  administration                   Action taken                  Therapeutic  category        Date
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Cefepime and Enmetazobactam...........  Injection.....................  FDA identified STIC (MIC and disk         Antibacterial............    2/22/2024
                                                                         diffusion) for Enterobacterales and
                                                                         Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Cefiderocol...........................  Injection.....................  FDA recognizes M100 MIC standard and      Antibacterial............   11/12/2024
                                                                         identifies disk diffusion STIC for
                                                                         Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Rationale
                                                                         available at https://www.fda.gov/drugs/development-resources/fda-rationale-recognition-decision-cefiderocol.
Ceftaroline fosamil...................  Injection.....................  FDA recognizes the M100 standard (MIC     Antibacterial............    6/25/2024
                                                                         and disk diffusion) for Staphylococcus
                                                                         aureus. Rationale available at https://www.fda.gov/drugs/development-resources/fda-rationale-recognition-decision-ceftaroline-fosamil-0.
Ceftazidime...........................  Injection.....................  FDA concurs with CLSI to remove STIC      Antibacterial............    5/15/2024
                                                                         (MIC) for S. maltophilia. Rationale
                                                                         available at https://www.fda.gov/drugs/development-resources/rationale-fdas-position-ceftazidime-breakpoints-against-stenotrophomonas-maltophilia.
Ceftobiprole medocaril sodium.........  Injection.....................  FDA identified STIC for S. aureus,        Antibacterial............    4/03/2024
                                                                         Streptococcus pyogenes, and
                                                                         Enterobacterales (MIC and disk
                                                                         diffusion), and for Streptococcus
                                                                         pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and
                                                                         H. parainfluenzae (MIC).
Daptomycin............................  Injection.....................  FDA recognizes M100 standard (MIC) for    Antibacterial............     8/2/2024
                                                                         Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus
                                                                         spp. other than E. faecium. Rationale
                                                                         available at https://www.fda.gov/drugs/development-resources/fda-rationale-recognition-decision-daptomycin-0.
Linezolid.............................  Oral, Injection...............  FDA recognizes M100 (disk diffusion)      Antibacterial............    5/28/2024
                                                                         standard for S. aureus.
Piperacillin and Tazobactam...........  Injection.....................  FDA has updated STIC (MIC and disk        Antibacterial............    3/22/2024
                                                                         diffusion) for P. aeruginosa. FDA
                                                                         identified a susceptible-dose dependent
                                                                         breakpoint. FDA does not recognize M100
                                                                         standard for susceptible, intermediate,
                                                                         and resistance breakpoints. Rationale
                                                                         available at https://www.fda.gov/drugs/development-resources/fda-rationale-piperacillin-tazobactam-breakpoints-pseudomonas-aeruginosa.
Pivmecillinam.........................  Oral..........................  FDA recognizes M100 standard (MIC and     Antibacterial............    4/24/2024
                                                                         disk diffusion) for Enterobacterales.
Sulopenem etzadroxil and probenecid...  Oral..........................  FDA identified STIC (MIC and disk         Antibacterial............   10/25/2024
                                                                         diffusion) for Enterobacterales.
Tedizolid phosphate...................  Oral, injection...............  FDA recognizes M100 (disk diffusion)      Antibacterial............    5/28/2024
                                                                         standard for S. aureus, Streptococcus
                                                                         spp. beta-hemolytic group, and
                                                                         Streptococcus spp. viridans group.
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\1\ M100 standard in the table refers to CLSI Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing, 34th ed. CLSI supplement M100; 2024.


    Dated: March 31, 2025.
P. Ritu Nalubola,
Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2025-06048 Filed 4-8-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4164-01-P