Department of Health and Human Services 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is amending the food additive regulations to no longer provide for the use of two specific perfluoroalkyl containing substances as oil and water repellents for paper and paperboard for use in contact with aqueous and fatty foods because these uses have been abandoned. This action is in response to a petition filed by Keller and Heckman LLP on behalf of 3M Corporation.

The National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) was established in 1987 to comply with Title XXI of the Public Health Service Act (Pub. L. 99-660) (section 2105) (42 U.S. Code 300aa-5). Its purpose is to advise and make recommendations to the Director of the National Vaccine Program on matters related to program responsibilities. The Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH) has been designated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) as the Director of the National Vaccine Program. The National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO) is located within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). NVPO provides leadership and fosters collaboration among the various Federal agencies involved in vaccine and immunization activities. The NVPO also supports the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC). The NVAC advises and makes recommendations to the ASH in her capacity as the Director of the National Vaccine Program on matters related to vaccine program responsibilities. Recognizing the changes in the immunization landscape, the ASH charged the NVAC to conduct a Mid-course review to evaluate the progress of the National Vaccine Plan and provide recommendations to optimize priority areas. In March 2016, the NVAC formed the Mid-Course Review Working Group. Through a series of conference calls, electronic communication, and public discussions during the NVAC meetings, the working group identified a number of draft recommendations for consideration by the NVAC. These recommendations serve as a useful tool in refining collective strategies for shaping the future of the U.S. immunization enterprise, both domestically and globally. The draft report and draft recommendations from the working group will inform NVAC deliberations as the NVAC finalizes their recommendations for transmittal to the ASH. On behalf of NVAC, NVPO is soliciting public comment on the draft report and draft recommendations from a variety of stakeholders, including the general public, for consideration by the NVAC as they develop their final recommendations to the ASH. It is anticipated that the draft report and draft recommendations, as revised with consideration given to public comment and stakeholder input, will be presented to the NVAC for adoption in February 2017 at the quarterly NVAC meeting.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined the regulatory review period for ANAVIP and is publishing this notice of that determination as required by law. FDA has made the determination because of the submission of an application to the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Department of Commerce, for the extension of a patent which claims that human biological product.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined the regulatory review period for CORE VALVE SYSTEM and is publishing this notice of that determination as required by law. FDA has made the determination because of the submission of applications to the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Department of Commerce, for the extension of a patent which claims that medical device.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined the regulatory review period for CERDELGA and is publishing this notice of that determination as required by law. FDA has made the determination because of the submission of an application to the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Department of Commerce, for the extension of a patent which claims that human drug product.

This proposed rule addresses changes, consistent with the CMCS Informational Bulletin (CIB) concerning ``The Use of New or Increased Pass-Through Payments in Medicaid Managed Care Delivery Systems,'' published on July 29, 2016, to the pass-through payment transition periods and the maximum amount of pass-through payments permitted annually during the transition periods under Medicaid managed care contract(s) and rate certification(s). The changes prevent increases in pass-through payments and the addition of new pass-through payments beyond those in place when the pass-through payment transition periods were established in the final Medicaid managed care regulations.

In accordance with the requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, HHS is establishing a new, department-wide system of records, System No. 09-90-1601 ``Outside Experts Recruited for Non-FACA Activities,'' and deleting four related systems of records that are obsolete or that will be rendered duplicative by the new system. The new system will cover recruitment and other administrative records about individuals outside the HHS workforce who serve or are considered for service on HHS mission-related committees and other assignments requiring specific outside expertise or experience (excluding those that are subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), which are covered under System No. 09-90-0059). The new department-wide System No. 09-90-1601 and the related system deletions are more fully explained in the Supplementary Information section of this Notice.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a report of a Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) working group proposing possible changes to the current review processes for new animal drug applications (NADAs) providing for the use of multiple new animal drugs in combination drug medicated feeds. This report was developed for the use of the CVM committee that will be participating in discussions concerning the reauthorization of the animal drug user fee program for 5 additional years through fiscal year 2023 (per the Animal Drug User Fee Amendments (ADUFA) IV).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) has determined that the drug products listed in this document were not withdrawn from sale for reasons of safety or effectiveness. This determination means that FDA will not begin procedures to withdraw approval of abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) that refer to these drug products, and it will allow FDA to continue to approve ANDAs that refer to the products as long as they meet relevant legal and regulatory requirements.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is announcing the availability of a draft guidance for FDA staff entitled ``Compliance Policy Guide Sec. 540.750 Use of The Seafood List to Determine Acceptable Seafood Names'' (the draft Compliance Policy Guide (CPG)). The draft CPG, when finalized, will provide guidance for FDA staff regarding use of The Seafood List to determine whether a seafood name is acceptable.

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 the information collection in the guidance for industry on special protocol assessment.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or the Agency) is amending its current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) and labeling regulations regarding medical gases. FDA is requiring that portable cryogenic medical gas containers not manufactured with permanent gas use outlet connections have gas-specific use outlet connections that cannot be readily removed or replaced except by the manufacturer. FDA is also requiring that portable cryogenic medical gas containers and high-pressure medical gas cylinders meet certain labeling, naming, and color requirements. These requirements are intended to increase the likelihood that the contents of medical gas containers are accurately identified and reduce the likelihood of the wrong gas being connected to a gas supply system or container. FDA is also revising an existing regulation that conditionally exempts certain medical gases from certain otherwise-applicable labeling requirements in order to add oxygen and nitrogen to the list of gases subject to the exemption, and to remove cyclopropane and ethylene from the list.

The Diabetes Mellitus Interagency Coordinating Committee (DMICC) and the Urology Interagency Coordinating Committee (UICC) will hold a joint meeting on December 16, 2016. The subject of the meeting will be ``The Urologic Complications of Diabetes.'' The meeting is open to the public.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is publishing a list of premarket approval applications (PMAs) that have been approved by the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). This list is intended to inform the public of the availability of safety and effectiveness summaries of approved PMAs through the Internet and the Agency's Division of Dockets Management.

Summary: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing the availability of a draft guidance for industry entitled ``Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG)Unresponsive Nonmuscle Invasive Bladder Cancer: Developing Drugs and Biologics for Treatment.'' The purpose of this guidance is to assist sponsors in the development of drugs and biologics to treat patients with a high-risk form of bladder cancer. The alternative is radical cystectomy, a surgical procedure with significant morbidity and mortality. This guidance will help overcome some of the obstacles in conducting the studies needed to establish efficacy of drugs and biologics for these patients with an unmet medical need.

This document corrects technical errors in the final rule that was placed on public inspection at the Office of the Federal Register on November 2, 2016 and scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on November 15, 2016. That rule is entitled, ``Medicare Program; Revisions to Payment Policies under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2017; Medicare Advantage Bid Pricing Data Release; Medicare Advantage and Part D Medical Loss Ratio Data Release; Medicare Advantage Provider Network Requirements; Expansion of Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program Model; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements.''

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of its continuing efforts to reduce public burden and maximize the utility of government information, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on ``Data Calls for the Laboratory Response Network'' collected from its members concerning their capacity to respond to public health threat emergencies.