Department of Health and Human Services July 14, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Under the provisions of Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for reinstatement of approval of the information collection listed below. This proposed information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on April 27, 2011, pages 23608-23609, and allowed 60 days for public comment. Two written comments and two verbal comments were received. The verbal comments expressed support for the broad scope of the study. The written comments were identical and questioned the cost and utility of the study. 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. Proposed Collection: Title: Formative Research Studies for the National Children's Study (NCS) Need and Use of Information Collection: The Children's Health Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-310) states:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to remove a section of the Prescription Drug Marketing Act (PDMA) regulations requiring that prior to the completion of any wholesale distribution of a prescription drug, an unauthorized distributor must provide to the purchaser ``a statement identifying each prior sale, purchase, or trade of such drug,'' starting with the manufacturer, and that the identifying statement (also known as the ``pedigree'') must include certain information about the drug and each prior sale, purchase, or trade. This action is being taken in response to longstanding issues, including an injunction currently in effect, regarding the application of and compliance with this requirement. FDA is also announcing that it intends to exercise enforcement discretion with respect to certain requirements of the regulation while the rulemaking is pending and with respect to the statutory pedigree requirements of the PDMA, as long as the pedigree identifies the names and addresses of the last authorized distributor of record that handled the drug and the associated dates of transactions involving that last authorized distributor of record and the drug, as well as the names and addresses of all subsequent unauthorized distributors that handled the drug and the corresponding dates of those transactions.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing that a proposed collection of information has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a draft guidance entitled ``In Vitro Companion Diagnostic Devices.'' This guidance is intended to assist sponsors planning to develop a therapeutic product that depends on the use of an in vitro companion diagnostic device for its safe and effective use or an in vitro diagnostic device that is intended for use with a corresponding therapeutic product and included in the instructions for use in the labeling of those products. This guidance defines in vitro companion diagnostic devices; explains the need for FDA oversight of companion diagnostic devices; clarifies that, in most circumstances, if use of a companion diagnostic device is essential for the safe and effective use of a therapeutic product, the diagnostic device and therapeutic product should be approved or cleared contemporaneously by FDA for the use indicated in the therapeutic product labeling; provides guidance for industry and FDA staff on possible premarket regulatory pathways and FDA's regulatory enforcement policy; and describes certain statutory and regulatory approval requirements relevant to therapeutic product labeling that stipulate concomitant use of a companion diagnostic device to ensure safety and effectiveness of the therapeutic product. This draft guidance is not final, nor is it in effect at this time.