Department of Health and Human Services July 26, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a draft report entitled ``Identifying CDER's Science and Research Needs.'' This document identifies current priorities in regulatory science related to the mission of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), and will guide strategic planning of internal research efforts. Through external communication of the science and research needs outlined in the report, CDER hopes to stimulate research and foster collaborations with external partners and stakeholders to address these priorities.

This notice announces an administrative hearing to be held on September 13, 2011, at the CMS Chicago Regional Office, 233 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 600, Chicago, IL 60601, to reconsider CMS' decision to disapprove Indiana SPA 11-011.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is classifying the repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) system into class II (special controls). 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 Office of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in coordination with the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is issuing this advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) to request comment on how current regulations for protecting human subjects who participate in research might be modernized and revised to be more effective. This ANPRM seeks comment on how to better protect human subjects who are involved in research, while facilitating valuable research and reducing burden, delay, and ambiguity for investigators. The current regulations governing human subjects research were developed years ago when research was predominantly conducted at universities, colleges, and medical institutions, and each study generally took place at only a single site. Although the regulations have been amended over the years, they have not kept pace with the evolving human research enterprise, the proliferation of multi-site clinical trials and observational studies, the expansion of health services research, research in the social and behavioral sciences, and research involving databases, the Internet, and biological specimen repositories, and the use of advanced technologies, such as genomics. Revisions to the current human subjects regulations are being considered because OSTP and HHS believe these changes would strengthen protections for research subjects.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending the final monograph (FM) for over-the-counter (OTC) bronchodilator drug products to add additional warnings (e.g., an ``Asthma alert'') and to revise the indications, warnings, and directions in the labeling of products containing the ingredients ephedrine, ephedrine hydrochloride, ephedrine sulfate, epinephrine, epinephrine bitartrate, racephedrine hydrochloride, and racepinephrine hydrochloride. FDA is issuing this final rule after considering data and information submitted in response to the Agency's proposed labeling revisions for these products. This final rule is part of FDA's ongoing review of OTC drug products.