Department of Health and Human Services 2025 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public comment on proposed data collection projects of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, HRSA announces plans to submit an Information Collection Request (ICR), described below, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Prior to submitting the ICR to OMB, HRSA seeks comments from the public regarding the burden estimate, below, or any other aspect of the ICR. Specifically, HRSA is inviting public comment on its proposed survey to identify evidence-based service delivery models that funding recipients may use to provide services under HRSA's MIECHV Program.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing this notice to withdraw the December 5, 2024, Federal Register notice entitled "Yong Sheng Jiao; Denial of Hearing; Final Debarment Order" because the document provided the incorrect bases for debarment and omitted edited language. A corrected notice document is published elsewhere in this Federal Register.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the utility of government information, invites the general public and other federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed and/or continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed information collection project titled Pathogens of High Consequence, which assesses the incidence and prevalence of select high consequence pathogens of public health importance in acute care hospitals. In addition to the nine diseases approved for collection, the following three additional diseases are being added to the form: Influenza A (H5), Marburg, and Oropouche.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the utility of government information, invites the general public and other federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed information collection project titled National Program of Cancer Registries Cancer Surveillance System. This information collection creates a Cancer Registry that provides useful data on cancer incidence, trends, and outcomes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces a two-day convening hosted and facilitated by the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) to discuss hepatitis C diagnostics. Leaders from public health, laboratory, medical, academic, and industry sectors will have the opportunity to provide individual input, without building a consensus, on accelerating the diagnosis of current hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Members of the public with interest and expertise in diagnosing HCV infection are also invited to provide individual input. Specifically, the convening will focus on how to leverage the following hepatitis C diagnostic methods: same-day diagnosis and treatment, and viral-first testing. The goal of the convening will be for each person to give their individual input, and not to build consensus. No discussions, recommendations, or advice to CDC will occur or be provided at the meeting. Day 1 will focus on the utility of point-of- care (POC) testing for accelerating same-day HCV diagnosis and rapid treatment i.nitiation. Day 2 will focus on the utility of viral-first testing strategies for accelerating HCV diagnosis and treatment initiation in the United States. Following the meeting, APHL will prepare a meeting report summarizing the discussion and public comment received through regulations.gov, developed and documented as individual input to ensure thorough and complete input from partners. CDC and APHL will disseminate the APHL-prepared report as a reference for partners and industry to follow in developing and implementing future hepatitis C testing strategies. The final report will be added to docket CDC-2025-0002 once it is available.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing the availability of a draft guidance for industry entitled "Developing Drugs for Optical Imaging." The purpose of this guidance is to provide recommendations to sponsors regarding clinical trial design features that support development and approval of optical imaging drugs that are used in conjunction with imaging devices and intended as intraoperative aids for the detection of pathology such as tumors or to enhance the conspicuity of normal anatomical structures.

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.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing the availability of a draft guidance document entitled "Recommendations for Determining Eligibility of Donors of Human Cells, Tissues, and Cellular and Tissue-Based Products (HCT/Ps)." This draft guidance document includes general information on determining eligibility for donors of HCT/Ps. In addition, FDA intends to issue separate guidance documents with recommendations regarding reducing the risk of transmission of specific communicable disease agents and diseases for donors of HCT/Ps. These guidance documents are intended to update an existing guidance.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing the availability of the draft guidance entitled "Validation of Certain In Vitro Diagnostic Devices for Emerging Pathogens During a Section 564 Declared Emergency." The draft guidance describes general recommendations for the validation of in vitro diagnostic devices (IVDs) for emerging pathogens during an applicable declaration of public health emergency. This guidance and the associated template include the recommendations that apply to test data and information submitted in a pre-Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), an EUA request, or to a test offered as described in an applicable enforcement discretion policy. This draft guidance is not final nor is it for implementation at this time.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing the availability of a final guidance for industry entitled "Interim Policy on Compounding Using Bulk Drug Substances Under Section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act." This guidance describes FDA's interim policy concerning compounding by human drug product compounders that are not outsourcing facilities using bulk drug substances while FDA develops the list of bulk drug substances that can be used in compounding under the applicable section of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). This guidance finalizes the draft guidance of the same title issued in December 2023 and replaces the final guidance of the same title issued in January 2017.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, Agency, or we) is announcing the availability of a final guidance for immediate implementation entitled "Recommendations To Reduce the Risk of Transmission of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (Mtb) by Human Cells, Tissues, and Cellular and Tissue-Based Products (HCT/Ps)." FDA is issuing this guidance to assist establishments that make donor eligibility determinations for donors of human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue-based products (HCT/Ps), with recommendations for screening donors for evidence of, and risk factors for, infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the organism that causes tuberculosis. The guidance also recommends additional steps that HCT/P establishments should take to reduce risk of transmission of Mtb until such time as appropriate FDA-licensed, approved, or cleared donor screening tests are available for use to test donors for Mtb infection. The guidance identifies Mtb as a relevant communicable disease agent or disease (RCDAD) and supplements the recommendations contained in other donor eligibility guidance documents for donors of HCT/Ps. This guidance is being issued to address the urgent public health need to reduce the risk of transmission of Mtb by HCT/Ps.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing the availability of a draft guidance for industry entitled "Considerations for the Use of Artificial Intelligence To Support Regulatory Decision-Making for Drug and Biological Products." In accordance with its mission of protecting, promoting, and advancing public health, FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), in collaboration with the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), the Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE), the Office of Combination Products (OCP), and the Office of Inspections and Investigations (OII), is issuing this draft guidance to provide recommendations to industry on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to produce information or data intended to support regulatory decision-making regarding the safety, effectiveness, or quality for drug and biological products.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing the availability of the draft guidance entitled "Pulse Oximeters for Medical PurposesNon-Clinical and Clinical Performance Testing, Labeling, and Premarket Submission Recommendations." This draft guidance document, when finalized, will provide recommendations regarding non-clinical and clinical performance testing of certain pulse oximeters for medical purposes, including devices with a pulse oximeter function that estimates the amount of oxygen in arterial blood and pulse rate. These recommendations are being proposed based in part on concerns that the accuracy of pulse oximeters can be affected by, among other factors, a person's skin pigmentation. The recommendations are being proposed to inform the performance evaluation for these devices, to support premarket submissions, regardless of submission type, and to promote consistency and facilitate efficient review of these submissions. Among other topics, the draft guidance also proposes recommendations for labeling, which are intended to promote the safe and effective use of pulse oximeters and help users understand the benefits and risks associated with the use of the device. This draft guidance is not final nor is it for implementation at this time.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, the Agency, or we) is announcing the availability of a final guidance for immediate implementation entitled "Recommendations To Reduce the Risk of Transmission of Disease Agents Associated with Sepsis by Human Cells, Tissues, and Cellular and Tissue-Based Products (HCT/Ps)." FDA is issuing this guidance to provide establishments making donor eligibility determinations with recommendations to reduce the risk of transmission of infections due to sepsis by HCT/Ps. This notice is being issued to respond to a public health safety concern and to address the urgent need for updated recommendations in making a donor eligibility determination when screening a donor for clinical evidence of sepsis and clinical signs to consider.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) and the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) are announcing the availability of a draft guidance for industry, clinical investigators, institutions, and institutional review boards (IRBs) entitled "Considerations for Including Tissue Biopsies in Clinical Trials." This guidance provides recommendations regarding considerations for tissue biopsies that may be conducted in adults and in children as part of clinical trials evaluating investigational medical products and/or that are conducted or supported by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is announcing the availability of a final guidance for industry entitled "Action Levels for Lead in Processed Food Intended for Babies and Young Children." The guidance establishes action levels for lead in certain processed foods intended for babies and young children less than 2 years old. The guidance is intended to set achievable action levels that will help further reduce lead in the food supply.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing the availability of a final guidance for industry #187B entitled "Heritable Intentional Genomic Alterations in Animals: The Approval Process." This guidance clarifies FDA's requirements and recommendations for developers of intentional genomic alterations (IGAs) in animals. The guidance is one of two companion documents. "Heritable Intentional Genomic Alterations in Animals: The Approval Process" describes how the FDA approval process applies to heritable IGAs in animals. The companion final guidance, GFI #187A entitled "Heritable Intentional Genomic Alterations in Animals: Risk-Based Approach," describes FDA's risk-based regulatory approach to the oversight of heritable IGAs in animals.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, Agency, or we) is announcing the availability of a draft guidance for industry (GFI) #251 entitled "Heritable Intentional Genomic Alterations in Animals of Food-Producing Species for Use as Models of Disease." This draft guidance, when finalized, will set forth FDA's policy regarding heritable intentional genomic alterations (IGAs) in animals of food- producing species, such as swine and rabbits, that are intended to be marketed for use as models of human or animal disease in biomedical research under contained and controlled conditions. The draft guidance describes the conditions under which we generally may not expect developers of IGAs in animal models of disease to submit an application to FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) or to get our approval before marketing their animals following CVM's prior review of risk factor data.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, the Agency, or we) is announcing the availability of a draft guidance for industry entitled "Establishing Sanitation Programs for Low-Moisture Ready-to-Eat Human Foods and Taking Corrective Actions Following a Pathogen Contamination Event." The draft guidance, when finalized, will explain FDA's current thinking on establishing a routine sanitation program for low-moisture ready-to-eat human foods (LMRTE foods) that can help prevent contamination of food or a food-contact surface with a pathogen and will explain our current thinking for corrective actions, including corrective actions to remediate contamination of food-contact surfaces, if prevention fails.