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 E16 Biomarkers Related to Drug or Biotechnology Product Development: Context, Structure, and Format of Qualification Submissions; availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance entitled ``E16 Biomarkers Related to Drug or Biotechnology Product Development: Context, Structure, and Format of Qualification Submissions.' 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 recommendations regarding the context, structure, and format of qualification submissions for clinical and nonclinical genomic biomarkers related to development of drug or biotechnology products, including translational medicine approaches, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and efficacy and safety aspects. The guidance is intended to create a harmonized recommended structure for biomarker qualification applications that will foster consistency of applications across regions and facilitate discussions with and among regulatory authorities.     

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; draft guidance on specifications: test procedures and acceptance criteria for biotechnological/biological products--FDA. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is publishing a draft guidance entitled "Q6B Specifications: Test Procedures and Acceptance Criteria for Biotechnological/Biological Products". 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 provides guidance on general principles for the selection of test procedures and the setting and justification of acceptance criteria for biotechnological and biological products. The draft guidance is intended to assist in the establishment of a uniform set of international specifications for biotechnological and biological products to support new marketing applications.     

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; revised guidance on Q3B(R) Impurities in New Drug Products; Availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a revised guidance entitled "Q3B(R) Impurities in New Drug Products.' The revised guidance, which updates a guidance on the same topic published in the Federal Register of May 19, 1997 (the 1997 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 is intended to provide guidance to applicants for drug marketing registration on the content and qualification of impurities in new drug products produced by chemically synthesized new drug substances not previously registered in a country, region, or member State. The revised guidance clarifies the 1997 guidance, adds information, and provides consistency with more recently published ICH guidances. The revised guidance complements the ICH guidance entitled "Q3A(R) Impurities in New Drug Substances.'     

International Conference on Harmonisation; guidance on specifications: test procedures and acceptance criteria for biotechnological/biological products. Notice. Food and Drug Administration,HHS

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is publishing a guidance entitled "Q6B Specifications: Test Procedures and Acceptance Criteria for Biotechnological/Biological Products." 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 guidance on general principles for the selection of test procedures and the setting and justification of acceptance criteria for biotechnological and biological products. The guidance is intended to assist in the establishment of a uniform set of international specifications for biotechnological and biological products to support new marketing applications.     

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.     

Draft guidance for industry on developing medical imaging drugs and biologics; availability--FDA. Availability of guidance

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a draft guidance for industry entitled "Developing Medical Imaging Drugs and Biologics." This draft guidance is intended to assist developers of drug and biological products used for medical imaging, as well as radiopharmaceutical drugs used in disease diagnosis, in planning and coordinating the clinical investigations of, and submitting various types of applications for, such products. The draft guidance also provides information on how the agency will interpret and apply provisions in the proposed regulations for in vivo radiopharmaceuticals used for diagnosis and monitoring, which published in the Federal Register of May 22, 1998 (63 FR 28301).     

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 Q6A specifications: test procedures and acceptance criteria for new drug substances and new drug products: chemical substances. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is publishing a guidance entitled "Q6A Specifications: Test Procedures and Acceptance Criteria for New Drug Substances and New Drug Products: Chemical Substances." 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 or provides recommendations concerning the selection of test procedures and the setting and justification of acceptance criteria for new chemical drug substances and new drug products produced from them. The guidance is intended to assist in the establishment of a single set of global specifications for new drug substances and new drug products.     

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 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; guidance on viral safety evaluation of biotechnology products derived from cell lines of human or animal origin; availability--FDA. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is publishing a guidance entitled "Q5A Viral Safety Evaluation of Biotechnology Products Derived From Cell Lines of Human or Animal Origin." 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 testing and evaluation of the viral safety of biotechnology products derived from characterized cell lines of human or animal origin, and outlines data that should be submitted in marketing applications.     

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 ethnic factors in the acceptability of foreign clinical data; availability--FDA. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is publishing a guidance entitled "E5 Ethnic Factors in the Acceptability of Foreign Clinical 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). The guidance recommends regulatory and development strategies to permit clinical data collected in one region to be used for the support of drug and biologic registrations in another region while allowing for the influence of ethnic factors.     

International Conference on Harmonisation; Guidance on E15 Pharmacogenomics Definitions and Sample Coding; Availability. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance entitled "E15 Definitions for Genomic Biomarkers, Pharmacogenomics, Pharmacogenetics, Genomic Data and Sample Coding Categories." 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 contains definitions of key terms in the discipline of pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics, namely genomic biomarkers, pharmacogenomics, pharmacogenetics, and genomic data and sample coding categories. In the effort to develop harmonized approaches to drug regulation, it is important to ensure that consistent definitions of terminology are being applied across all constituents of the ICH. The guidance is intended to facilitate the integration of the discipline of pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics into global drug development and approval processes.     

Revocation of regulation on positron emission tomography drug products--FDA. Final rule; revocation

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is revoking a regulation on positron emission tomography (PET) radiopharmaceutical drug products. The regulation permits FDA to approve requests from manufacturers of PET drugs for exceptions or alternatives to provisions of the current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) regulations. FDA is taking this action in accordance with provisions of the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997 (Modernization Act). Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, FDA is publishing a notice revoking two notices concerning certain guidance documents on PET drugs and the guidance documents to which the notices relate.     

International Conference on Harmonisation; guidance on quality of biotechnological/biological products: derivation and characterization of cell substrates used for production of biotechnological/biological products; availability. Notice. Food and Drug Administration,HHS

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is publishing a guidance entitled "Q5D Quality of Biotechnological/Biological Products:Derivation and Characterization of Cell Substrates Used for Production of Biotechnological/Biological Products." 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 document provides broad guidance on appropriate standards for the derivation and characterization of cell substrates used in the production of biotechnological/biological products and recommends information in these areas that should be presented in marketing applications.     

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.