[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 126 (Thursday, July 3, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29561-29563]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-12418]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2025-N-0308]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Emerging Drug Safety Technology Meeting Program

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing 
an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain 
information by the Agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA), Federal Agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal 
Register concerning each proposed collection of information, and to 
allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice 
solicits comments on the Emerging Drug Safety Technology Meeting 
(EDSTM) Program.

DATES: Either electronic or written comments on the collection of 
information must be submitted by September 2, 2025.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments as follows. Please note that late, 
untimely filed comments will not be considered. The https://www.regulations.gov electronic filing system will accept comments until 
11:59 p.m. Eastern Time at the end of September 2, 2025. Comments 
received by mail/hand delivery/courier (for written/paper submissions) 
will be considered timely if they are received 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-2025-N-0308 for '' Emerging Drug Safety Technology Meeting 
Program.'' 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

[[Page 29562]]

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: Amber Sanford, Office of Operations, 
Food and Drug Administration, Three White Flint North, 10A-12M, 11601 
Landsdown St., North Bethesda, MD 20852, 301-796-8867, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521), Federal 
Agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. 
``Collection of information'' is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 
1320.3(c) and includes Agency requests or requirements that members of 
the public submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a 
third party. Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)) 
requires Federal Agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal 
Register concerning each proposed collection of information, before 
submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To comply with this 
requirement, FDA is publishing notice of the proposed collection of 
information set forth in this document.
    With respect to the following collection of information, FDA 
invites comments on these topics: (1) whether the proposed collection 
of information is necessary for the proper performance of FDA's 
functions, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (2) the accuracy of FDA's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques, when 
appropriate, and other forms of information technology.

Emerging Drug Safety Technology Meeting Program

OMB Control Number--New

    The pharmaceutical industry is expanding its use of artificial 
intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies across the drug 
product lifecycle. FDA is interested in accelerating its understanding 
of the research, development, and use of AI and other emerging 
technologies in the area of pharmacovigilance, including their 
performance characteristics. The EDSTM program is a means by which 
applicants and other relevant parties who meet the eligibility and 
selection criteria for participation, can meet with the Center for Drug 
Evaluation and Research (CDER) to share information about their use of 
AI and other emerging technologies, and its potential application in 
pharmacovigilance (PV).
    The initial phase of the EDSTM program was announced in the Federal 
Register on June 11, 2024 (89 FR 49179). CDER has received several 
meeting requests and inquiries from the pharmaceutical industry and 
other relevant parties, eager to share their latest applications of AI 
in PV. The requests represent a diverse set of AI use cases that are of 
interest to the Agency. Given the current level of interest in the 
program expressed by respondents, FDA anticipates an increase in the 
number of meetings granted to expand the Agency's understanding of how 
AI-enabled tools and other emerging technologies are being used for 
pharmacovigilance.
    The goal of the EDSTM program is to facilitate mutual learning and 
discussion on the opportunities and challenges with using emerging 
technologies in PV. If selected for a meeting, application holders and/
or other relevant parties will meet with CDER staff to discuss their 
research, development, and/or use of AI and other emerging technologies 
in PV. FDA plans to leverage these learnings to help inform potential 
regulatory and policy approaches relating to the use of AI and other 
emerging technologies in PV. EDSTMs will collect information for the 
following purposes: (1) serve as the central point of contact for 
dialogue between industry and CDER on the use of AI and other emerging 
technologies in PV; (2) enable knowledge management and transfer within 
FDA specific to the context of use for AI or other emerging 
technologies in PV; and (3) further thinking about policy and 
application of potential regulatory approaches within the landscape of 
AI and other emerging technologies.
    Respondents include select applicants (applicant) with an approved 
new drug application or biologics license application and/or other 
relevant parties supporting industry's PV activities (e.g., academia, 
contract research organizations (CROs), PV vendors, software 
developers). Respondents will provide an initial submission to FDA 
detailing their meeting proposal. We estimate this will require 10 
hours to prepare. If selected for participation in the EDSTM, the 
respondent will need to prepare and deliver a 20-50 minute 
presentation, which will require an additional burden of 30 hours. FDA 
estimates 25 organizations will submit requests to present at EDSTMs 
per year, and a total of 12 meetings will be held per year.
    FDA estimates the burden of this collection of information as 
follows:

[[Page 29563]]



                                 Table 1--Estimated Annual Reporting Burden \1\
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                                                           Number of       Total
               Activity                    Number of     responses per     annual    Average burden  Total hours
                                          respondents     respondent     responses    per response
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Industry request to give presentation               25               1           25              10          250
 at EDSTM.............................
Industry preparing and delivering                   12               1           12              30          360
 presentation to EDSTM after the
 request has been granted.............
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    Total.............................              25  ..............           37  ..............          610
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\1\ There are no capital costs or operating and maintenance costs associated with this collection of
  information.


    Dated: June 26, 2025.
Grace R. Graham,
Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Legislation, and International Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2025-12418 Filed 7-2-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4164-01-P