International Conference on Harmonisation; draft guidance on E2F Development Safety Update Report; availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a draft guidance entitled "E2F Development Safety Update Report." The draft guidance was prepared under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The draft guidance describes the format, content, and timing of a development safety update report (DSUR) for an investigational drug. The DSUR would serve as a harmonized, annual clinical trial safety report that would be standard among the three ICH regions. The DSUR could be submitted in the United States in place of an annual report for an investigational new drug application (IND). The harmonized DSUR is intended to promote a consistent approach to annual clinical safety reporting among the ICH regions and enhance efficiency by reducing the number of reports generated for submission to the regulatory authorities.     

International Conference on Harmonisation; guidance on Q9 Quality Risk Management; availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance entitled "Q9 Quality Risk Management."' The guidance was prepared under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The guidance provides principles and examples of tools for quality risk management that can be applied to all aspects of pharmaceutical quality throughout the lifecycle of drug substances, drug products, and biological and biotechnological products. The guidance is intended to enable regulators and industry to make more effective and consistent risk-based decisions.     

International Conference on Harmonisation; guidance on electronic common technical document specification; availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance entitled "M2 eCTD: Electronic Common Technical Document Specification." The guidance was prepared under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The guidance defines the means for industry-to-agency transfer of regulatory information that will facilitate the creation, review, life cycle management, and archiving of the electronic submission. The guidance is intended to assist industry in transferring electronically their marketing applications for human drug and biological products to a regulatory authority.     

International Conference on Harmonisation; guidance on M4 common technical document; availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of guidance entitled "M4 Organization of the Common Technical Document for the Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use" (M4CTD). The guidance was developed under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The guidance, which is being made available simultaneously in four parts (general organization, quality, safety, and efficacy), describes a harmonized format for new product applications (including applications for biotechnology-derived products) for submission to the regulatory authorities in the three ICH regions. The M4 CTD is intended to reduce the time and resources used to compile applications, ease the preparation of electronic submissions, facilitate regulatory reviews and communication with the applicant, and simplify the exchange of regulatory information among regulatory authorities.     

International Conference on Harmonisation; Guidance on E2F Development Safety Update Report; availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance entitled "E2F Development Safety Update Report." The guidance was prepared under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The guidance describes the format, content, and timing of a development safety update report (DSUR) for an investigational drug. The DSUR will serve as a common standard for periodic reporting on drugs under development (including marketed drugs that are under further study) among the ICH regions. The DSUR can be submitted in the United States in place of an annual report for an investigational new drug application (IND). The harmonized DSUR is intended to promote a consistent approach to annual clinical safety reporting among the ICH regions and enhance efficiency by reducing the number of reports generated for submission to the regulatory authorities.     

International Conference on Harmonisation; guidance on good manufacturing practice for active pharmaceutical ingredients; availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance entitled "Q7A Good Manufacturing Practice Guidance for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients." The guidance was prepared under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The guidance describes current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) for manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The guidance is intended to help ensure that all APIs meet the standards for quality and purity they purport or are represented to possess.     

International Conference on Harmonisation; evaluation of stability data; availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance entitled "Q1E Evaluation of Stability Data." The guidance was prepared under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). This guidance is a supplement to an ICH guidance entitled "Q1A(R2) Stability Testing of New Drug Substances and Products," which was revised from Q1A(R) and published in the Federal Register of November 21, 2003 (68 FR 65717). It is intended to provide guidance on how to use stability data, generated in accordance with the principles outlined in Q1A(R2), to propose a retest period for the drug substance and a shelf life for the drug product.     

International Conference on Harmonisation; guidance on E11 clinical investigation of medicinal products in the pediatric population; availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance entitled "E11 Clinical Investigation of Medicinal Products in the Pediatric Population." The guidance was prepared under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The guidance sets forth critical issues in pediatric drug development and approaches to the safe, efficient, and ethical study of medicinal products in the pediatric population. The guidance is intended to encourage and facilitate the timely development of pediatric medicinal products internationally.     

International Conference on Harmonisation; revised guidance on Q3A impurities in new drug substances; availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a revised guidance entitled "Q3A(R) Impurities in New Drug Substances." The revised guidance, which updates a guidance on the same topic published in the Federal Register of January 4, 1996 (the 1996 guidance), was prepared under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The revised guidance clarifies the 1996 guidance, adds information, and provides consistency with more recently published ICH guidances. The revised guidance is intended to provide guidance to applicants for drug marketing registration on the content and qualification of impurities in new drug substances produced by chemical syntheses and not previously registered in a country, region, or member State.     

International Conference on Harmonisation; guidance on S7A safety pharmacology studies for human pharmaceuticals; availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance entitled "S7A Safety Pharmacology Studies for Human Pharmaceuticals." The guidance was prepared under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The guidance provides a definition, general principles, and recommendations for the nonclinical safety pharmacology studies. The guidance is intended to help protect clinical trial participants and patients receiving marketed products from potential adverse effects of pharmaceuticals, while avoiding unnecessary use of animals and other resources.     

International Conference on Harmonisation; Guidance on Q8 Pharmaceutical Development; availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance entitled "Q8 Pharmaceutical Development." The guidance was prepared under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The guidance describes the suggested contents for the pharmaceutical development section of a regulatory submission in the ICH M4 Common Technical Document (CTD) format. The guidance also indicates areas where the provision of greater understanding of pharmaceutical and manufacturing sciences can create a basis for flexible regulatory approaches.     

International Conference on Harmonisation; addendum to International Conference on Harmonisation Guidance on S6 Preclinical Safety Evaluation of Biotechnology-Derived Pharmaceuticals; availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance entitled "S6 Addendum to Preclinical Safety Evaluation of Biotechnology-Derived Pharmaceuticals' (S6 addendum). The S6 addendum was prepared under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The S6 addendum is intended to incorporate new knowledge and experience gained since the implementation of the ICH guidance entitled "S6 Preclinical Safety Evaluation of Biotechnology-Derived Pharmaceuticals' (ICH S6) and to clarify and provide greater detail to enable the development of safe and effective biopharmaceuticals.     

International Conference on Harmonisation; guidance on Addendum to E2C Clinical Safety Data Management: Periodic Safety Update Reports for Marketed Drugs; availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance entitled "Addendum to E2C Clinical Safety Data Management: Periodic Safety Update Reports for Marketed Drugs" (the ICH E2C guidance). The guidance was prepared under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). In the Federal Register of May 19, 1997 (62 FR 27470), FDA published the ICH E2C guidance, which recommends a unified standard for the format, content, and reporting frequency for postmarketing periodic safety update reports (PSURs) for drug and biological products. This guidance, an addendum to the ICH E2C guidance, provides additional information on the content and format of PSURs, including clarification of the objectives, general principles, and model for PSURs. This guidance is intended to help harmonize collection and submission of postmarketing clinical safety data.     

International Conference on Harmonisation; guidance on Q1A stability testing of new drug substances and products; availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a revised guidance entitled "Q1A(R) Stability Testing of New Drug Substances and Products." The revised guidance was prepared under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The guidance sets forth recommendations on the information to be submitted in the stability data package for a new drug substance or drug product for a registration application within the three regions of the European Union (EU), Japan, and the United States. The purpose of there vision is to add information to certain sections and to provide clarification to other sections of the guidance.     

International Conference on Harmonisation; guidance on E14 Clinical Evaluation of QT/QTc Interval Prolongation and Proarrhythmic Potential for Non-Antiarrhythmic Drugs; availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance entitled "E14 Clinical Evaluation of QT/QTc Interval Prolongation and Proarrhythmic Potential for Non-Antiarrhythmic Drugs." The guidance was prepared under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The guidance provides recommendations to sponsors concerning clinical studies to assess the potential of a new drug to cause cardiac arrhythmias, focusing on the assessment of changes in the QT/QTc interval on the electrocardiogram as a predictor of risk. The guidance is intended to encourage the assessment of drug effects on the QT/QTc interval as a standard part of drug development and to encourage the early discussion of this assessment with FDA.     

International Conference on Harmonisation; guidance on Q5E Comparability of Biotechnological/Biological Products Subject to Changes in Their Manufacturing Process; availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance entitled "Q5E Comparability of Biotechnological/Biological Products Subject to Changes in Their Manufacturing Process." The guidance was prepared under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The purpose of the guidance is to provide principles for assessing the comparability of biotechnological/biological products before and after changes are made in the manufacturing process for the drug substance or drug product. The guidance is intended to assist in the collection of relevant technical information that serves as evidence that the manufacturing process changes will not have an adverse impact on the quality, safety, and efficacy of the drug product.     

International Conference on Harmonisation; Guidance on S8 Immunotoxicity Studies for Human Pharmaceuticals; availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance entitled "S8 Immunotoxicity Studies for Human Pharmaceuticals." The guidance was prepared under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The guidance provides recommendations on nonclinical testing approaches to identify compounds that have the potential to be immunotoxic and guidance on a weight-of-evidence decision making approach for immunotoxicity testing. The guidance is intended to provide recommendations on nonclinical testing for immunotoxicity induced by human pharmaceuticals. The guidance applies to unintended immunosuppression and immunoenhancement, excluding allergenicity or drug-specific autoimmunity.     

International Conference on Harmonisation; guidance on the M4 Common Technical Document--Quality: Questions and Answers/Location Issues; availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance entitled "M4: The CTD--Quality: Questions and Answers/Location Issues." The guidance was prepared under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). This guidance provides further clarification for preparing the quality components of an application file in the common technical document (CTD) format. The guidance addresses the relationship between linked sections for certain parameters (such as polymorphism and particle size), and it addresses location issues (by indicating the section in which to place requested information). The guidance is intended to ease the preparation of paper and electronic submissions, facilitate regulatory reviews, and simplify the exchange of regulatory information among regulatory authorities.     

International Conference on Harmonisation; Guidance on Q4B Evaluation and Recommendation of Pharmacopoeial Texts for Use in the International Conference on Harmonisation Regions; availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance entitled "Q4B Evaluation and Recommendation of Pharmacopoeial Texts for Use in the ICH Regions." The guidance was prepared under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The guidance describes a process for the evaluation and recommendation by the ICH Q4B Expert Working Group (EWG) of selected pharmacopeial texts to facilitate their recognition by regulatory authorities for use as interchangeable in the ICH regions. Following favorable evaluations, ICH will issue topic-specific annexes with information about these texts and their implementation (the Q4B Outcomes). Implementation of the Q4B annexes is intended to avoid redundant testing by industry in favor of a common testing strategy in each ICH regulatory region.