Evaluation of Sex-Specific and Gender-Specific Data in Medical Device Clinical Studies; Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; Availability, 1161-1163 [2024-31526]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 4 / Tuesday, January 7, 2025 / Notices
of the applicable statutes and
regulations.
II. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
This guidance refers to previously
approved collections of information
found in FDA regulations. These
collections of information are subject to
review by the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501–
3521). The collections of information in
section 910(c)(1)(A)(i) of the FD&C Act
have been approved under OMB control
number 0910–0768; the collections of
information in section 905(j) of the
FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 387e(j)) have been
approved under OMB control number
0910–0673; the collections of
information in 21 CFR part 1107 have
been approved under OMB control
number 0910–0684; the collections of
information in section 904(a)(3) of the
FD&C Act have been approved under
OMB control number 0910–0732, and
the collections of information in 21 CFR
part 1114 have been approved under
OMB control number 0910–0879.
III. Electronic Access
Persons with access to the internet
may obtain an electronic version of the
guidance at https://www.fda.gov/
regulatory-information/search-fdaguidance-documents, https://
www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/rulesregulations-and-guidance-relatedtobacco-products/guidance-relatedtobacco-products, or https://
www.regulations.gov.
Dated: December 26, 2024.
Kimberlee Trzeciak,
Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Legislation,
and International Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2024–31541 Filed 1–6–25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4164–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Food and Drug Administration
[Docket No. FDA–2023–D–5591]
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Evaluation of Sex-Specific and GenderSpecific Data in Medical Device
Clinical Studies; Draft Guidance for
Industry and Food and Drug
Administration Staff; Availability
AGENCY:
Food and Drug Administration,
HHS.
ACTION:
Notice of availability.
The Food and Drug
Administration (FDA or Agency) is
announcing the availability of the draft
guidance entitled ‘‘Evaluation of SexSpecific and Gender-Specific Data in
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:44 Jan 06, 2025
Jkt 265001
Medical Device Clinical Studies.’’ This
document provides guidance on the
study and evaluation of sex- and/or
gender-specific data in clinical
investigations or research involving one
or more subjects to determine the safety
or effectiveness of a device. The purpose
of this guidance is to encourage sciencedriven consideration of sex and/or
gender, as appropriate for both the
scientific question being addressed and
the intended use of the device, when
designing medical device clinical
studies and reporting data from such
studies in accordance with legal
requirements. This draft guidance is not
final nor is it for implementation at this
time.
DATES: Submit either electronic or
written comments on the draft guidance
by April 7, 2025 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
PO 00000
Frm 00083
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
1161
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–
2023–D–5591 for ‘‘Evaluation of SexSpecific and Gender-Specific Data in
Medical Device Clinical Studies.’’
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-201509-18/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)).
E:\FR\FM\07JAN1.SGM
07JAN1
1162
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 4 / Tuesday, January 7, 2025 / Notices
An electronic copy of the guidance
document is available for download
from the internet. See the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for
information on electronic access to the
guidance. Submit written requests for a
single hard copy of the draft guidance
document entitled ‘‘Evaluation of SexSpecific and Gender-Specific Data in
Medical Device Clinical Studies’’ to the
Office of Policy, Center for Devices and
Radiological Health, Food and Drug
Administration, 10903 New Hampshire
Ave., Bldg. 66, Rm. 5431, Silver Spring,
MD 20993–0002. Send one selfaddressed adhesive label to assist that
office in processing your request.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Terri Cornelison, Center for Devices and
Radiological Health, Food and Drug
Administration, 10903 New Hampshire
Ave., Bldg. 66, Rm. 5516, Silver Spring,
MD 20993–0002, 301–796–5682; or
James Myers, Center for Biologics
Evaluation and Research, Food and
Drug Administration, 10903 New
Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 71, Rm. 7301,
Silver Spring, MD 20993, 240–402–
7911.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
I. Background
Recognition of the importance of sexand gender-specific considerations has
been steadily growing in areas such as
medical technology design and
development, including clinical study
design, and assessing product
performance throughout the total
product life cycle and other medical
device-related matters. Sex and gender
are key considerations in the
development and performance of
medical devices. Although there has
been steady growth in the recognition of
sex- and gender-considerations in
medical technology design and
development, it is important to
understand that this was not always the
case. Historically, females and/or
women have been under-represented in
or excluded from many clinical studies.
This has led to a lack of information
available for females and/or women and
their health care providers regarding the
benefits and risks of many medical
devices. Further, individuals with
intersex traits and those with
differences in sex development may
have not been properly included within
clinical studies. In addition,
historically, as gender was often
conflated with sex or otherwise not
properly reported in clinical studies,
there is a lack of data regarding the
underrepresentation of nonbinary,
transgender, fluid gender identities and
other gender identities.
Given these historical concerns and
the growing recognition of the
importance of sex- and gender-specific
considerations in medical technology
design and development, it is important
that a medical device be developed and
evaluated with study participants that
represent the demographic, clinical, and
disease characteristics of the intended
population. The purpose of this draft
guidance is to encourage science-driven
consideration of sex and/or gender.
Upon finalization, this document will
update the policy reflected in the
existing guidance entitled ‘‘Evaluation
of Sex-Specific Data in Medical Device
Clinical Studies’’ by addressing both
sex- and gender-specific data and will
replace the existing guidance. As such,
the recommendations within the
guidance have been updated to help
sponsors consider sex- and/or genderspecific data, as appropriate for the
scientific questions being addressed and
the intended use of the device, when
designing medical device clinical
studies and reporting data from such
studies in accordance with legal
requirements. The guidance provides
recommendations for sponsors to
consider sex- and/or gender-specific
data throughout the clinical study
process. This includes updated
recommendations for clinical study
design, study participant enrollment,
data collection and analysis, and
reporting of study information for sexspecific data, gender-specific data, or
both, according to the scientific
question at hand.
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 ‘‘Evaluation of Sex-Specific and
Gender-Specific Data in Medical Device
Clinical Studies.’’ 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. Electronic Access
Persons interested in obtaining a copy
of the draft guidance may do so by
downloading an electronic copy from
the internet. A search capability for all
Center for Devices and Radiological
Health guidance documents is available
at https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/
device-advice-comprehensiveregulatory-assistance/guidancedocuments-medical-devices-andradiation-emitting-products. This
guidance document is also available at
https://www.regulations.gov, https://
www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/
search-fda-guidance-documents, or
https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-bloodbiologics/guidance-complianceregulatory-information-biologics.
Persons unable to download an
electronic copy of ‘‘Evaluation of SexSpecific and Gender-Specific Data in
Medical Device Clinical Studies’’ may
send an email request to CDRHGuidance@fda.hhs.gov to receive an
electronic copy of the document. Please
use the document number GUI00001727
and complete title to identify the
guidance you are requesting.
III. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
While this guidance contains no new
collection of information, it does refer to
previously approved FDA collections of
information. The previously approved
collections of information are subject to
review by the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C.
3501–3521). The collections of
information in the following table have
been approved by OMB:
21 CFR Part or guidance
Topic
807, subpart E ............................................................................................................
814, subparts A through E .........................................................................................
814, subpart H ............................................................................................................
812 ..............................................................................................................................
860, subpart D ............................................................................................................
‘‘Requests for Feedback on Medical Device Submissions: The Pre-Submission
Program and Meetings with Food and Drug Administration Staff’’.
800, 801, and 809 ......................................................................................................
Premarket notification .................
Premarket approval ....................
Humanitarian Device Exemption
Investigational Device Exemption
De Novo classification process ..
Q-submissions ............................
0910–0120
0910–0231
0910–0332
0910–0078
0910–0844
0910–0756
Medical Device Labeling Regulations.
Postmarket Surveillance of Medical Devices.
0910–0485
822 ..............................................................................................................................
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:44 Jan 06, 2025
Jkt 265001
PO 00000
Frm 00084
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
E:\FR\FM\07JAN1.SGM
OMB control No.
07JAN1
0910–0449
1163
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 4 / Tuesday, January 7, 2025 / Notices
21 CFR Part or guidance
Topic
50, 56 ..........................................................................................................................
Protection of Human Subjects
and
Institutional
Review
Boards.
Dated: December 26, 2024.
Kimberlee Trzeciak,
Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Legislation,
and International Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2024–31526 Filed 1–6–25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4164–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Food and Drug Administration
[Docket No. FDA–2021–N–0553]
Evaluating the Public Health
Importance of Food Allergens Other
Than the Major Food Allergens Listed
in the Federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act; Guidance for FDA Staff
and Interested Parties; Availability
AGENCY:
Food and Drug Administration,
HHS.
ACTION:
Notice of availability.
The Food and Drug
Administration (FDA or we) is
announcing the availability of a final
guidance for FDA staff and interested
parties entitled ‘‘Evaluating the Public
Health Importance of Food Allergens
Other Than the Major Food Allergens
Listed in the Federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act.’’ This guidance document
provides our current thinking on the
approach we generally intend to take
when we evaluate the public health
importance of a food allergen other than
one of the major food allergens (i.e.,
milk, eggs, fish, Crustacean shellfish,
tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, soybean, and
sesame) listed in the Federal Food,
Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act).
DATES: The announcement of the
guidance is published in the Federal
Register on January 7, 2025.
ADDRESSES: You may submit either
electronic or written comments on FDA
guidances at any time as follows:
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
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
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:44 Jan 06, 2025
Jkt 265001
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–
2021–N–0553 for ‘‘Evaluating the Public
Health Importance of Food Allergens
Other Than the Major Food Allergens
Listed in the Federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act.’’ 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.’’ We
will review this copy, including the
claimed confidential information, in our
PO 00000
Frm 00085
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
OMB control No.
0910–0130
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-201509-18/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 Division of
Chemical Contaminants, Office of PostMarket Assessment, Human Foods
Program, Food and Drug
Administration, 5001 Campus Dr.,
College Park, MD 20740. Send two selfaddressed adhesive labels to assist that
office in processing your request. See
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section
for electronic access to the guidance.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Stefano Luccioli, Office of Post-Market
Assessment, Human Foods Program,
Food and Drug Administration, 5001
Campus Dr., College Park, MD 20740,
240–402–1283; or Alexandra Beliveau,
Office of Policy, Regulations, and
Information, Human Foods Program,
Food and Drug Administration, 5001
Campus Dr., College Park, MD 20740,
240–402–2378.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
E:\FR\FM\07JAN1.SGM
07JAN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 4 (Tuesday, January 7, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1161-1163]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-31526]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Food and Drug Administration
[Docket No. FDA-2023-D-5591]
Evaluation of Sex-Specific and Gender-Specific Data in Medical
Device Clinical Studies; Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug
Administration Staff; Availability
AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing
the availability of the draft guidance entitled ``Evaluation of Sex-
Specific and Gender-Specific Data in Medical Device Clinical Studies.''
This document provides guidance on the study and evaluation of sex-
and/or gender-specific data in clinical investigations or research
involving one or more subjects to determine the safety or effectiveness
of a device. The purpose of this guidance is to encourage science-
driven consideration of sex and/or gender, as appropriate for both the
scientific question being addressed and the intended use of the device,
when designing medical device clinical studies and reporting data from
such studies in accordance with legal requirements. This draft guidance
is not final nor is it for implementation at this time.
DATES: Submit either electronic or written comments on the draft
guidance by April 7, 2025 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-2023-D-5591 for ``Evaluation of Sex-Specific and Gender-Specific
Data in Medical Device Clinical Studies.'' 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)).
[[Page 1162]]
An electronic copy of the guidance document is available for
download from the internet. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section
for information on electronic access to the guidance. Submit written
requests for a single hard copy of the draft guidance document entitled
``Evaluation of Sex-Specific and Gender-Specific Data in Medical Device
Clinical Studies'' to the Office of Policy, Center for Devices and
Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire
Ave., Bldg. 66, Rm. 5431, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002. Send one self-
addressed adhesive label to assist that office in processing your
request.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Terri Cornelison, Center for Devices
and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New
Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 66, Rm. 5516, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, 301-
796-5682; or James Myers, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research,
Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 71, Rm.
7301, Silver Spring, MD 20993, 240-402-7911.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Recognition of the importance of sex- and gender-specific
considerations has been steadily growing in areas such as medical
technology design and development, including clinical study design, and
assessing product performance throughout the total product life cycle
and other medical device-related matters. Sex and gender are key
considerations in the development and performance of medical devices.
Although there has been steady growth in the recognition of sex- and
gender-considerations in medical technology design and development, it
is important to understand that this was not always the case.
Historically, females and/or women have been under-represented in or
excluded from many clinical studies. This has led to a lack of
information available for females and/or women and their health care
providers regarding the benefits and risks of many medical devices.
Further, individuals with intersex traits and those with differences in
sex development may have not been properly included within clinical
studies. In addition, historically, as gender was often conflated with
sex or otherwise not properly reported in clinical studies, there is a
lack of data regarding the underrepresentation of nonbinary,
transgender, fluid gender identities and other gender identities.
Given these historical concerns and the growing recognition of the
importance of sex- and gender-specific considerations in medical
technology design and development, it is important that a medical
device be developed and evaluated with study participants that
represent the demographic, clinical, and disease characteristics of the
intended population. The purpose of this draft guidance is to encourage
science-driven consideration of sex and/or gender. Upon finalization,
this document will update the policy reflected in the existing guidance
entitled ``Evaluation of Sex-Specific Data in Medical Device Clinical
Studies'' by addressing both sex- and gender-specific data and will
replace the existing guidance. As such, the recommendations within the
guidance have been updated to help sponsors consider sex- and/or
gender-specific data, as appropriate for the scientific questions being
addressed and the intended use of the device, when designing medical
device clinical studies and reporting data from such studies in
accordance with legal requirements. The guidance provides
recommendations for sponsors to consider sex- and/or gender-specific
data throughout the clinical study process. This includes updated
recommendations for clinical study design, study participant
enrollment, data collection and analysis, and reporting of study
information for sex-specific data, gender-specific data, or both,
according to the scientific question at hand.
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 ``Evaluation
of Sex-Specific and Gender-Specific Data in Medical Device Clinical
Studies.'' 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. Electronic Access
Persons interested in obtaining a copy of the draft guidance may do
so by downloading an electronic copy from the internet. A search
capability for all Center for Devices and Radiological Health guidance
documents is available at https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/device-advice-comprehensive-regulatory-assistance/guidance-documents-medical-devices-and-radiation-emitting-products. This guidance document is also
available at https://www.regulations.gov, https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents, or https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/guidance-compliance-regulatory-information-biologics. Persons unable to download an electronic copy of
``Evaluation of Sex-Specific and Gender-Specific Data in Medical Device
Clinical Studies'' may send an email request to [email protected] to receive an electronic copy of the document.
Please use the document number GUI00001727 and complete title to
identify the guidance you are requesting.
III. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
While this guidance contains no new collection of information, it
does refer to previously approved FDA collections of information. The
previously approved collections of information are subject to review by
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521). The collections of information
in the following table have been approved by OMB:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
21 CFR Part or guidance Topic OMB control No.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
807, subpart E............... Premarket 0910-0120
notification.
814, subparts A through E.... Premarket 0910-0231
approval.
814, subpart H............... Humanitarian 0910-0332
Device
Exemption.
812.......................... Investigational 0910-0078
Device
Exemption.
860, subpart D............... De Novo 0910-0844
classification
process.
``Requests for Feedback on Q-submissions... 0910-0756
Medical Device Submissions:
The Pre-Submission Program
and Meetings with Food and
Drug Administration Staff''.
800, 801, and 809............ Medical Device 0910-0485
Labeling
Regulations.
822.......................... Postmarket 0910-0449
Surveillance of
Medical Devices.
[[Page 1163]]
50, 56....................... Protection of 0910-0130
Human Subjects
and
Institutional
Review Boards.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dated: December 26, 2024.
Kimberlee Trzeciak,
Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Legislation, and International Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2024-31526 Filed 1-6-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4164-01-P