Department of Health and Human Services October 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reopening until October 19, 2010, the comment period for the notice of public meeting published in the Federal Register of April 20, 2009 (74 FR 17967). In that notice, FDA announced a public meeting that took place on May 27 and 28, 2009, to solicit input on developing Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) for certain opioid drugs. FDA is reopening the comment period in light of continued public interest in this topic and to provide an opportunity for all interested parties to provide information and share views on the matter.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health is requesting nominations for members to serve on the Interagency Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Coordinating Committee. This Committee will coordinate information on existing activities related to breast cancer and environmental research and make recommendations to the National Institutes of Health and other Federal agencies on how to improve existing research programs.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is classifying the wound dressing with pDADMAC additive into class II (special controls). Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, FDA is announcing the availability of a guidance document entitled ``Class II Special Controls Guidance Document: Wound Dressing With Poly (Diallyl Dimethyl Ammonium Chloride) (pDADMAC) Additive,'' which will serve as the special control for this device type. The agency is classifying this device type into class II (special controls) in order to provide a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness of these devices.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is postponing the meeting of the National Mammography Quality Assurance Advisory Committee scheduled for November 2, 2009. This meeting was announced in the Federal Register of October 1, 2009 (74 FR 50803). The postponement is due to guidance documents planned for discussion at the meeting are not yet available. A future meeting date will be announced in the Federal Register.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending the animal drug regulations to reflect approval of a supplemental new animal drug application (NADA) filed by Pfizer, Inc. The supplemental NADA provides for veterinary prescription use of tulathromycin injectable solution for the control of swine respiratory disease (SRD) in groups of pigs where SRD has been diagnosed.

Under the provisions of Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve the information collection listed below. This proposed information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on July 16, 2009, page 34580 and allowed 60 days for public comment. No public comments were received. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment. The National Institutes of Health may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection that has been extended, revised, or implemented on or after October 1, 1995, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

The inventions listed below are owned by an agency of the U.S. Government and are available for licensing in the U.S. in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 207 to achieve expeditious commercialization of results of federally-funded research and development. Foreign patent applications are filed on selected inventions to extend market coverage for companies and may also be available for licensing.

The inventions listed below are owned by an agency of the U.S. Government and are available for licensing in the U.S. in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 207 to achieve expeditious commercialization of results of federally-funded research and development. Foreign patent applications are filed on selected inventions to extend market coverage for companies and may also be available for licensing.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing a public workshop, co-sponsored with the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), regarding scientific issues in the development of molecular and other tests for the diagnosis of respiratory infections, entitled ``Advancing Clinical Development of Molecular and Other Diagnostic Tests for Respiratory Tract Infections.'' The purpose of the public workshop is to provide an opportunity to share information and perspectives with health care providers, academia, and industry on various aspects of diagnostic test development for respiratory infections. Topics for discussion will include the role of emerging diagnostic tests in promoting appropriate use of antibiotics by physicians, the use of novel diagnostic tests in the study of new drugs for respiratory infections, and the possible contribution of biomarkers in the approach to treatment of respiratory infections.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (the PRA), Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information, and to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits comments on requirements for recordkeeping and reports concerning experience with approved new animal drugs. The information contained in the reports required by the regulation enables FDA to monitor the use of new animal drugs after approval and to ensure their continued safety and efficacy.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is seeking to identify potential organizations to monitor health care entities under quality- of-care Corporate Integrity Agreements (CIA) with OIG. OIG is interested in receiving information from organizations that believe they have the capability to be monitors for quality-of-care CIAs. This is not a request for proposals and does not commit OIG to select or consider a particular organization to be a monitor. Any information provided to OIG in response to this notice is strictly voluntary. The Government will not pay for information submitted in response to this notice.