Guidance for Industry 
Public Availability of Labeling 
Changes in Changes Being 
Effected Supplements 
 
 
 
 
 
DRAFT GUIDANCE
 
 
  This guidance document is being distributed for comment purposes only. 
 
Comments and suggestions regarding this draft document should be submitted within 60 days of 
publication in the Federal Register of the notice announcing the availability of the draft 
guidance.  Submit comments to the Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and 
Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061, Rockville, MD  20852.  All comments 
should be identified with the docket number listed in the notice of availability that publishes in 
the Federal Register. 
 
For questions regarding this draft document contact (CDER) Meredith Francis 301-594-2041.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
Food and Drug Administration 
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) 
 
 
 
September 2006 
Labeling 
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Guidance for Industry
 
Public Availability of Labeling 
Changes in Changes Being 
Effected Supplements 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Additional copies are available from: 
 
Office of Training and Communications 
Division of Drug Information, HFD-240 
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research 
Food and Drug Administration 
5600 Fishers Lane 
Rockville, MD  20857 
(Tel) 301-827-4573 
http://www.fda.gov/cder/guidance/index.htm 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
Food and Drug Administration 
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) 
 
 
September 2006 
Labeling 
 
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  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
Draft  Not for Implementation 
 
 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 
I.  INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................1 
II.  BACKGROUND...................................................................................................................1 
III.  DISCUSSION.......................................................................................................................2 
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1
Guidance for Industry  
Public Availability of Labeling Changes  
in Changes Being Effected Supplements 
 
 
 
This draft guidance, when finalized, will represent the Food and Drug Administrations (FDAs) current 
thinking on this topic.  It does not create or confer any rights for or on any person and does not operate to 
bind FDA or the public.  You can use an alternative approach if the approach satisfies the requirements of 
the applicable statutes and regulations.  If you want to discuss an alternative approach, contact the FDA 
staff responsible for implementing this guidance.  If you cannot identify the appropriate FDA staff, call 
the appropriate number listed on the title page of this guidance. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I.  INTRODUCTION   
 
This guidance announces to holders of a new drug application (NDA), an abbreviated new drug 
application (ANDA), or a biologics license application (BLA), who intend to submit a Changes 
Being Effected supplement (CBE supplement) to make a postapproval labeling change, that 
FDA will make labeling revisions identified in a CBE supplement publicly available upon 
receipt of the supplement by FDA.2  This guidance does not have any bearing on supplements 
that relate to chemistry, manufacturing, and controls changes.   
 
FDAs guidance documents, including this guidance, do not establish legally enforceable 
responsibilities.  Instead, guidances describe the Agencys current thinking on a topic and should 
be viewed only as recommendations, unless specific regulatory or statutory requirements are 
cited.  The use of the word should in Agency guidances means that something is suggested or 
recommended, but not required. 
 
II.  BACKGROUND 
 
FDA has begun an initiative to facilitate computerized access to drug information by consumers, 
pharmacists, and healthcare providers so that they will have faster and more comprehensive 
                                                 
1 This guidance has been prepared by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) at the Food ad Drug 
Administration.  
 
2 While the FDA will make labeling revisions submitted via a CBE supplement publicly available when they are 
received by the FDA, this action should not be construed as an endorsement of the revised labeling by the FDA.  As 
noted in section III, after revised labeling is submitted, the FDA carefully reviews the proposed change and then 
either approves it or sends a letter identifying the deficiencies with the proposed change.  Of particular note, the 
Agency will not permit a labeling change that would misbrand the product (see footnote 4). 
 
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access to drug information.  As part of this initiative, the Agency has been involved in an 
initiative known as DailyMed.  DailyMed is a computerized repository of a broad array of drug 
information, which is maintained by the National Library of Medicine.  Among other things, 
DailyMed contains the information referred to as content of labeling, which includes all the 
information found in prescription drug labeling and over-the-counter (OTC) drug facts labeling, 
including all text, tables, and figures (see 21 CFR 314.50(l)(i)).  To maximize its ability to serve 
as a useful resource to consumers, pharmacists, and healthcare providers, DailyMed must contain 
the most up-to-date and comprehensive drug information available.  This guidance discusses 
FDA policy with regard to the timing of our release of revised drug labeling information. 
  
Sections 314.70 and 601.12 (21 CFR 314.70 and 601.12) of FDAs regulations describe the types 
of supplemental applications that must be submitted to FDA to effect a labeling change to 
approved NDAs, ANDAs, and BLAs.  Certain types of changes to labeling must receive FDA 
approval before the changes are implemented.  These include all labeling changes that do not fall 
under  314.70(c)(6)(iii), (d)(2)(ix), or (d)(2)(x), or under  601.12(f)(2) or (f)(3).  Other changes 
may be implemented by a sponsor upon the Agencys receipt of a CBE supplement ( 
314.70(c)(6)(iii) and 601.12(f)(2)(i)).  Under  314.70(c)(6)(iii) and 601.12(f)(2)(i), the labeling 
changes appropriate for CBE supplements are those that:  (1) add or strengthen a 
contraindication, warning, precaution, or adverse reaction; (2) add or strengthen a statement 
about abuse, dependence, psychological effect, or overdosage; (3) add or strengthen an 
instruction about dosage and administration that is intended to increase the safe use of the 
product; (4) delete false, misleading, or unsupported indications for use or claims for 
effectiveness; or (5) normally require a supplement submission and approval before distribution 
of the product and that FDA specifically requests be submitted under these provisions.3   
 
 
III.  DISCUSSION 
 
After a CBE supplement is submitted, FDA reviews the proposed change and either approves it 
or sends a letter identifying the deficiencies with the proposed change.4  Historically, most 
sponsors have implemented the proposed labeling changes at the time of, or shortly after, the 
Agencys receipt of the CBE supplement.  However, some have delayed implementation until 
they receive FDA feedback before implementing any change.   
 
In the past, FDA has not made any labeling change proposed in a CBE supplement publicly 
available until it has been approved.  However, this policy could lead to situations where a 
                                                 
3 As explained in the final rule, Requirements on Content and Format of Labeling for Human Prescription Drug and 
Biological Products, that we published in the Federal Register on January 24, 2006 (71 FR 3922), a sponsor may 
not use a CBE supplement to change the Highlights of Prescribing Information section except for editorial or 
similar minor changes.   For a more complete discussion on this point, see 71 FR at 3932 and 3934. 
 
4 Congress has charged FDA with ensuring, among other things, that drugs sold in the United States are not 
misbranded (21 U.S.C. 331(a), (b), and (k); 321(n); 352; and 355(c) and (d)(7)).  Consistent with the Federal Food, 
Drug, and Cosmetic Act, FDA will not permit a change to labeling that would misbrand the product.  For example, 
FDA would not allow a change to labeling to add a warning in the absence of reasonable evidence of an association 
between the product and an adverse event. 
 
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company, in compliance with the regulations, is distributing labeling that contains updated safety 
information while FDA is not making the updated version of the labeling available.  
 
To avoid this situation and to facilitate the DailyMed initiative, FDA wants to make the most 
current labeling submitted to FDA available to healthcare practitioners and the public.  
Therefore, FDA is announcing its intention to change its practice with regard to making labeling 
changes submitted in CBE supplements -- but not in prior approval supplements -- publicly 
available.   
 
This guidance announces that the Agency will make the revised labeling proposed in a CBE 
supplement publicly available on its Web site and through the DailyMed shortly after the CBE 
supplement is received and before FDA has necessarily reviewed or approved it.  If, after 
reviewing the CBE supplement, FDA decides it should not be approved, FDA will either (1) 
remove the labeling submitted with the CBE supplement from the FDA Web site and from the 
DailyMed and replace that labeling with the previous labeling or (2) recommend the sponsor 
amend its labeling and, after the sponsor submits the amended labeling, post this amended 
labeling on FDAs Web site and provide it to the DailyMed promptly.5 
 
Given this new procedure, we recommend that a sponsor not submit a CBE supplement to FDA 
until the sponsor is ready to distribute the labeling that it proposes in that CBE supplement.  FDA 
will consider the submission of a CBE supplement to be consent by the sponsor to post the 
proposed labeling on FDAs Web site and on the DailyMed.  The Agency welcomes discussions 
with sponsors before they submit a CBE supplement.  
                                                 
5 Nothing in this guidance is intended to expand the circumstances in which an applicant may effect labeling 
changes via a CBE supplement, and particularly, those pertaining to generic drugs.   
 
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