Generic Drug User Fee 
Amendments of 2012:  
Questions and Answers 
Related to User Fee 
Assessments 
 
 
 
 Guidance for Industry 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
Food and Drug Administration 
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER)  
 
November 2016 
User Fees  
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
Generic Drug User Fee 
Amendments of 2012:  
Questions and Answers 
Related to User Fee 
Assessments 
 
 
Guidance for Industry 
 
 
 
Additional copies are available from: 
Office of Communications, Division of Drug Information 
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research 
Food and Drug Administration 
10001 New Hampshire Ave., Hillandale Bldg., 4th Floor 
Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002 
Phone: 855-543-3784 or 301-796-3400; Fax: 301-431-6353 
Email: druginfo@fda.hhs.gov 
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidances/default.htm 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
Food and Drug Administration 
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER)  
 
November 2016 
User Fees    Contains Nonbinding R ecommendations 
 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 
 
 
I.  INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 1 
 
II.  BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................... 2 
 
III.  QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS........................................................................................ 3 
 
A.  Fees .................................................................................................................................................. 3 
 
1.  Backlog Fee............................................................................................................................. .........4 
2. Drug Master File (DMF) Fee ...........................................................................................................5 
3. ANDA and PAS Fees .........................................................................................................................6 
4. Facility Fees ......................................................................................................................................10 
5. Other Fee Related Questions ............................................................................................................15 
 
IV.      ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS LIST............................................................... 22    Contains Nonbi nding Recommendations 
 
 
Generic Drug User Fee Amendments of 2012: 
Questions and Answers Related to User Fee Assessments 
1
Guidance for Industry
 
       
 
 
This guidance represents the current thinking of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) 
on this topic.  It does not establish any rights for any person and is not binding on FDA or the public.  
You can use an alternative approach if it satisfies the requirements of the applicable statutes and 
regulations.  To discuss an alternative approach, contact the FDA office responsible for this guidance 
as listed on the title page.   
 
 
  I.  INTRODUCTION 
 
This guidance provides answers to anticipated user-fee questions from generic drug industry 
participants regarding the Generic Drug User Fee Amendments of 2012 (Public Law 112-144, Title 
III), commonly referred to as GDUFA.2  The questions and answers (Q&A) format is intended to 
promote transparency and facilitate compliance.  The first version of this document was issued 
pursuant to 21 CFR 10.115 and was made available on FDAs website on August 22, 2012.  In 
response to comments received in the docket and to address additional questions that have arisen 
since the beginning of GDUFA, FDA issued Revision 1 of the draft guidance on September 10, 
2013. 
 
This guidance finalizes the user fee Q&A section of Revision 1 of the draft guidance.  This final 
guidance document addresses comments FDA received on Revision 1, adds questions and answers 
that FDA and industry have discussed regarding user fees since the launch of the program, and 
finalizes the user fee section of the revised version of the guidance.  Questions and answers related 
to GDUFAs self-identification, review of generic drug submissions, and inspections and 
compliance provisions that appeared in draft versions of this guidance will appear in updated form in 
a separately issued final guidance. 
 
This guidance is one in a series of GDUFA communications.  Other communications, including 
similar guidances and Federal Register (FR) notices, are available at 
  http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/UserFees/GenericDrugUserFees/default.htm.  
   
  Where applicable, references to information in these communications are included in this Q&A 
  guidance. 
 
                                                           
1 This guidance has been prepared by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), Office of Management (OM), 
Division of User Fee Management and Budget Formulation (DUFMBF), at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 
 
2 We note that GDUFA expires on September 30, 2017.  FDA expects that there will be a successor statute (GDUFA II), 
but that that statute will differ from GDUFA with respect to the fees required in important ways.  While it is expected that 
some aspects of this guidance will apply to the successor statute, others will not.   
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    Contains Nonbi nding Recommendations 
 
The Food and Drug Administrations 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 
 
  On July 9, 2012, GDUFA was signed into law by the President.3  GDUFA is designed to speed 
the delivery of safe and effective generic drugs to the public and improve upon the predictability of 
the review process.  GDUFA is based on an agreement negotiated by FDA and representatives of the 
generic drug industry to address a growing number of regulatory challenges.  GDUFA reflects input 
received during an open process that included regular public meetings, posting of meeting minutes, 
and consideration of comments from a public docket.  Agreed upon recommendations were sent to 
Congress, and Congress held hearings on GDUFA that included testimony from FDA, the generic 
drug industry, and other interested parties. 
 
GDUFA aims to put FDAs generic drug program on a firm financial footing and ensure timely 
access to safe, high-quality, affordable generic drugs.  GDUFA enables FDA to assess user fees to 
fund critical and measurable enhancements to the performance of FDAs generic drugs program, 
bringing greater predictability and timeliness to the review of generic drug applications.   
 
GDUFA establishes application fees (for abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs), prior 
approval supplements (PASs) to ANDAs, and drug master files (DMFs)), annual facility fees, and a 
one-time fee for ANDAs pending on October 1, 2012, referred to as backlog applications.  
Beginning on October 1, 2012, ANDA applicants and DMF holders are required to pay application 
fees when they submit ANDAs and PASs, or the first time a DMF is referenced by an initial letter of 
authorization in an ANDA or PAS.   
 
The facility fee rates are published in August following the close of the annual facilities self-
identification reporting period.  Under GDUFA, facilities, sites, and organizations must self-identify 
annually.  FDA calculates annual facility fees for facilities manufacturing, or intending to 
manufacture, active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) of human generic drugs and/or finished dosage 
form (FDF) human generic drugs, based on the number of facilities that have self-identified.  
 
More information about GDUFA fees can be found at: 
http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/UserFees/GenericDrugUserFees/ucm456776.htm. 
 
Although most facilities that are required to self-identify are also required to pay an annual facility 
user fee, certain types of generic facilities, sites, and organizations are not required to pay the annual 
facility user fee.  These include facilities, sites, and organizations that solely manufacture positron 
emission tomography (PET) drugs; clinical bioequivalence or bioavailability study sites; in vitro 
bioequivalence testing or bioanalytical testing sites; API/FDF analytical testing sites; relabelers; and 
repackagers. 
                                                           
3 On October 5, 2012, the President signed into law the FDA User Fee Corrections Act of 2012.  This act amends 
GDUFA so that due dates for GDUFA user fees in fiscal year 2013 are not dependent on enactment of an appropriations 
act. 
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    Contains Nonbi nding Recommendations 
 
 
Additional information on self-identification is available at 
http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/UserFees/GenericDrugUserFees/default.htm. 
 
The following responses have been developed for implementation of the GDUFA program to assist 
generic drug manufacturers in meeting the user-fee requirements of GDUFA. 
 
III.  QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS  
  A.  Fees 
The following questions and answers provide information on the various fees required by 
GDUFA.  For convenience, these are summarized in Table 1. 
 
Table 1. Summary of GDUFA User Fee Requirements3 
  Fee Type  Who Incurs the Fee?  Payment  For Further 
  Frequency  Information 
 
 
  Backlog Fee  An applicant whose original  Once  See questions 
  ANDA was pending on Oct. 1,  1-8 
  2012, without a tentative approval 
 
 
  DMF Fee  A Type II active pharmaceutical  Once for each API DMF,   
  ingredient (API) DMF holder whose  no later than when first letter of  See questions 
  DMF is referenced by an initial letter of  authorization is submitted  9-17 
  authorizationA in a generic drug 
  submission on or after 
  Oct. 1, 2012 
 
 
 
Generic Drug  An applicant submitting an ANDA or  Once, at time of submission  See questions 
 
Submission  PAS on or after October 1, 2012  of ANDA or PAS  18-32 
 
Fees: 
   
  ANDA and PAS Fee 
   
  Fee for API not referenced by a DMF 
  (also referred to as (a)(3)(F) Fee)B 
 
 
 
  Facility Fees:  The owner of a facility identified in   Annually  See questions 
    at least one generic drug submission  33-50 
    that is pending or approved to produce 
        API  one or more generic drug finished 
    dosage form (FDF) and/or APIs 
  FDF 
 
   
  A See question 10 for information about a letter of authorization. 
B 
See questions 29-30 for information about the (a)(3)(F) fee. 
 
3  Fees will be published in the Federal Register not more than 60 days before the start of each FY (generally in 
the first week of August each year).  For fee amounts, visit FDAs GDUFA website at 
http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/UserFees/GenericDrugUserFees/default.htm.  
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    Contains Nonb inding Recommendations 
 
 
1.  Backlog Fee 
 
Q1.  Who was required to pay a backlog fee?  
 
Each person who owned an original ANDA that was pending on October 1, 2012, and had 
not been tentatively approved on that date was required to pay a backlog fee for that 
ANDA. 
  
Q2.  How did FDA define pending applications for purposes of paying the backlog fee?  
 
An original ANDA was considered to be pending and subject to the backlog fee, if, as of 
September 28, 2012, FDA had not tentatively approved, approved, or refused to receive 
(RTR) the application.  See FR notice  Opportunity to Withdraw Abbreviated New Drug 
Applications to Avoid Backlog Fee Obligations for additional details. 
 
Q3.  How much is the backlog fee, how is it assessed, and when is it due?   
 
The backlog was determined based on the number of original ANDAs pending at 
the start of the business day on October 1, 2012.  In accordance with GDUFA, FDA 
divided $50 million by the number of original ANDAs pending to arrive at the amount of 
the one-time backlog fee, due for each pending original ANDA. 
 
The final backlog fee is $17,434.  See FR notice  Generic Drug User Fee  Backlog Fee 
Rate  for  Fiscal  Year  2013  for  additional  details.    Payment  was  due  no  later  than 
November 26, 2012. 
 
Q4.  If FDA refused, after October 1, 2012, to receive an original ANDA submitted 
before October 1, 2012, was the application subject to a backlog fee?   
 
Yes. 
 
Q5.  If FDA refuses to receive an application in the backlog, will the backlog fee be 
refunded?   
 
No. 
 
Q6.  If FDA refuses to receive an application in the backlog, will the sponsor be 
required to pay an application fee upon resubmission in response to the 
identified issue(s)?   
 
Yes.  An ANDA fee will be due when the application is resubmitted. 
 
     Q7.     What is the penalty for failure to pay the backlog fee?   
 
Any person who owned an original ANDA that failed to pay the backlog fee was 
placed on a publicly available arrears list available at www.fda.gov/gdufa.  FDA will 
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    Contains Nonb inding Recommendations 
 
not receive a new ANDA or supplement submitted by that person, or any affiliate of 
that person, within the meaning of 505(j)(5)(A) of the Federal Food, Drug, and 
Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), until the outstanding fee is paid. 
 
Note: The fee is an obligation to the U.S. government, and the failure to pay the fee may 
result in collection activities by the government pursuant to applicable laws. 
 
Q8.  What is an affiliate for this purpose?   
 
GDUFA defines the term affiliate as a business entity that has a relationship with a 
second business entity if, directly or indirectly, one business entity controls, or has the 
power to control, the other business entity; or a third party controls, or has power to 
control, both of the business entities. 
 
  2.  Drug Master File (DMF) Fee 
 
Q9.  Which DMFs incur fees?   
 
Only DMFs that cover the manufacture of an API (Type II API DMFs) for use in a 
generic drug application incur fees.  Specifically, each person who owns a Type II API 
DMF (DMF holder) that is referenced on or after October 1, 2012, in a generic drug 
submission, by any initial letter of authorization, shall be subject to a DMF fee. 
 
Q10.   When is a DMF fee incurred?   
 
The owner of a DMF incurs the fee the first time that a generic drug submission references 
that DMF by an initial letter of authorization on or after October 1, 2012. 
 
  Q11.   Do holders of DMFs submitted and reviewed by FDA before October 1, 2012, have 
to pay a DMF fee?   
 
GDUFA does not make a distinction between DMFs submitted before or after October 
1, 2012.  Holders of DMFs reviewed prior to GDUFA implementation must pay the 
one-time DMF fee if their DMF is referenced in a new generic drug submission. 
 
 Q12.   Do DMF holders incur a fee each time their DMF is referenced?   
 
No.  The DMF fee is a one-time fee, incurred on first reference of the DMF on or after 
October 1, 2012.  This fee is not incurred every time a DMF is referenced. 
 
 Q13.   How much is the DMF fee?   
 
DMF fees are published in the FR not more than 60 days before the start of each FY 
(generally in the first week of August each year). 
 
See FDAs GDUFA website for the current fiscal years fee amounts. 
 
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    Contains Nonb inding Recommendations 
 
 
Q14.   When are DMF fees due?    
 
DMF fees will be due no later than the date on which the first generic drug submission 
that references the associated DMF holders file is submitted. 
 
Q15.   Do DMF holders need to wait for a new ANDA applicant to request a letter of 
authorization before the DMF is assessed to be available for reference?  
 
No.  DMF holders can pay the fee before a letter of authorization is requested.  The DMF 
will then undergo an initial completeness assessment, using factors articulated in the final 
guidance Completeness Assessments for Type II Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Drug 
Master Files Under the Generic Drug User Fee Amendments.  If the DMF passes the 
initial completeness assessment, FDA will identify the DMF on the Type II Drug Master 
Files  Available for Reference List. 
 
Q16.  Can an ANDA applicant pay the DMF fee for an API referenced in its 
submission?   
 
Yes. 
 
Q17.   What is the penalty for failure to pay the DMF fee?   
 
The DMF will be deemed not available for reference.  Once the DMF fee becomes due, 
no generic drug submission submitted referencing the DMF will be received unless the 
fee is paid and the DMF is deemed available for reference. 
 
ANDA applicants that reference a DMF for which a fee is due but has not been paid will be 
provided notification of the DMF holders failure to satisfy the user fee obligation.  If the 
DMF fee is not paid within 20 calendar days after notification, the ANDA referencing the 
DMF will not be received. 
 
3.  ANDA and PAS Fees 
 
Q18.   How much are the ANDA and PAS fees?   
 
Fees will be published in the FR not more than 60 days before the start of each FY 
(generally in the first week of August each year). 
 
See FDAs GDUFA website for the current fiscal years fee amounts. 
 
Q19.   When will ANDA and PAS filing fees be due?   
 
ANDA and PAS fees will be due on the date of submission of the application. 
 
 
 
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    Contains Nonb inding Recommendations 
 
Q20.   If FDA refuses to receive an ANDA or PAS, is there any provision for a partial 
refund of the application fee?   
 
In certain circumstances, a partial refund may be possible.  If the reason that the 
application was refused was not related to failure to pay fees, then 75 percent of the fee 
paid will be refunded to the applicant. 
 
Q21.   How does the ANDA sponsor receive the 75% refund if FDA has refused to receive 
the ANDA/PAS pursuant to section 505(j)(4) of the FD&C Act?      
 
To request a refund, email CDERCollections@fda.hhs.gov and include your Tax ID 
number (required for all domestic companies) or DUNS number (required for all foreign 
companies), and the address where the refund should be sent.  This information is required, 
and FDA cannot process a refund without it. To expedite the refund process, submit your 
refund request as soon as possible after an ANDA/PAS has been refused to receive. If you 
do not submit a refund request, FDA will initiate a refund during its periodic review of 
outstanding refunds.  
 
Q22.   If such a previously refused application is then resubmitted, will the applicant be 
required to pay another full fee at the time of resubmission?   
 
Yes. 
 
Q23.   When is a response to an RTR letter considered a resubmission?   
 
A resubmission, which incurs a new ANDA filing fee, is a response to an RTR Letter that 
remedies all of the deficiencies (major, minor, eCTD) that are identified therein. A request 
for reconsideration without these remedies is not considered a resubmission and therefore 
not subject to a new ANDA filing fee. 
 
Q24.   What is the penalty for failure to pay the ANDA or PAS filing fee?   
 
The ANDA or PAS will not be received unless the fee is paid within 20 calendar days 
of the due date. 
 
  Q25.    If an ANDA or PAS applicant pays its filing fee more than 20 calendar days after   
the due date, what will FDA consider as the applications date of submission?   
 
If an applicant does not submit payment within 20 calendar days of the due date, its 
application will be deemed incomplete on the date of submission. So long as FDA finds 
that none of the disqualifications outlined in 21 CFR 314.101(d) and (e) apply, the 
application will be considered submitted as of the date all obligations are satisfied and the 
payments are received in full. 
 
Q26.    If an ANDA or PAS is withdrawn, will FDA issue a refund?   
 
No.  
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    Contains Nonb inding Recommendations 
 
 
Q27.  If an ANDA or PAS is withdrawn before the filing fee is paid, will the obligation to pay 
the fee remain?  
 
  Yes.  An ANDA or PAS filing fee is incurred upon submission.  Once the ANDA or 
PAS is submitted, the applicant is liable for paying that fee, even if the ANDA or PAS is 
withdrawn prior to satisfying the obligation. 
 
Q28.   What is a generic drug submission?   
 
The phrase generic drug submission refers to an ANDA, an amendment to an ANDA, or a 
PAS to an ANDA. 
 
Q29.   If a generic drug submission includes API information other than by reference to a 
DMF, is the applicant required to pay an additional fee?   
 
Yes.  The applicant is required to pay an API-related fee for each API manufactured in its 
own facility or facilities for which it has not previously paid an API-related fee.  As with a 
DMF fee, this fee is paid only once. 
 
The amount of the API-related fee is a function of the number of APIs referenced in the 
application and the number of facilities in which those APIs are manufactured.  If the 
ANDA references more than one facility as manufacturing each API, the applicant must 
pay the API-related fee for each such facility.  See the examples that follow. 
 
GDUFA specifies that the ANDA applicant must pay a fee for each API facility for which 
an API-related fee has not previously been paid that is described in the generic drug 
submission by means other than reference to a DMF. 
 
Because the calculation is potentially confusing, we provide the following two 
examples. 
 
Example One: 
 
An applicant (XYZ Corp.) submits an ANDA that describes manufacture of APIs, 
not by reference to DMFs. 
 
Product  API  Facility that has not paid API fee 
Drug X  Alpha  1, 2, 3 
  Beta  1, 2 
  Gamma   1 
 
In this example, XYZ Corp. owes the following API-related fee: 
 
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    Contains Nonb inding Recommendations 
 
Fee = (APIs (Alpha + Beta + Gamma) + extra facilities (Alpha 2 + Alpha 3 + Beta 
2)) x DMF fee 
 
= (3 APIs + 3 Extra facilities) x DMF fee 
 
= 6 x DMF fee 
 
Example Two: 
 
XYZ Corp. submits a new application for a second product with the following 
information about API manufacture other than by reference to a DMF: 
 
Product  API  Facility 
Drug Y  Alpha  1, 2, 3 
  Beta  1, 2 
  Gamma  1, 2 
  Delta  1 
 
 
The one-time fee has already been paid for Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, so no additional fee 
is due for these components.  In addition, XYZ Corp. has already paid for all of the extra 
facilities except for Gamma 2, so a new fee is only owed for Gamma 2. 
 
The applicant owes the following API-related fee: 
 
Fee = (APIs (Delta) + extra facilities (Gamma 2)) x DMF fee 
 
= (1 API + 1 Extra facility) x DMF fee 
 
= 2 x DMF fee 
  
Q30.  Are the references to fees for each API facility in the above example different from 
the annual fee that each API facility must pay (discussed below)?  
 
Yes.  The reference to fees for each API facility in the calculation above is meant to 
replicate the DMF fee required if the information is submitted in a DMF.  Annual API 
facility fees are discussed below and are required for each facility that is identified in an 
ANDA or a DMF. 
 
Q31.   Is a PAS filing fee required for such changes as labeling and microbiology?   
 
Yes.  User fees are required for all PASs, including labeling and microbiology that require 
prior approval under FDA regulations. 
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    Contains Nonb inding Recommendations 
 
 
Q32.   When should the application filing fee for a serially submitted ANDA be paid?   
 
In some circumstances, ANDA applicants choose to serially submit complete ANDAs in 
anticipation of a patent being listed for a reference listed drug (RLD) that is protected by 
new chemical entity (NCE) exclusivity and has no other patents listed.  This is done 
because the ANDA cannot be submitted until the final year of the five-year exclusivity 
period, and then only if the submitter is challenging the patent.  A single payment for 
multiple submissions of the same ANDA is required.  
 
Applicants who choose to serially submit complete ANDAs in anticipation of a patent 
being listed for a RLD that is protected by NCE exclusivity and has no other patents listed 
should refrain from remitting their application filing fee until such time as the applicant is 
instructed by OGD that it has a valid application.  Once a patent has been listed and an 
application can therefore be received for review by OGD, an applicant will have 20 days 
in which to pay its user fee. 
 
4.  Facility Fees 
 
Q33.   What are the finished dosage form (FDF) and active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) 
facility fees for U.S. and foreign manufacturers?   
 
Annual fees are adjusted based on the number of facilities that self-identify, inflation, and 
other relevant factors.  Fee amounts will be published in the FR not more than 60 days 
before the start of each FY (generally in the first week of August each year). 
 
See FDAs GDUFA website for the current fiscal years fee amounts. 
 
Q34.   When will facility fees be due?   
 
Facility fees will be due on the first business day on or after October 1 of each FY, or the 
first business day after the enactment of an appropriations Act providing for the 
collection and obligation of fees for such year. 
 
Q35.   Under what conditions is a facility fee incurred?  
           
A facility fee is incurred if a facility is identified in a generic drug submission that is 
pending or approved to produce an API or FDF.  For purposes of the user fee statute, a 
facility is a business or other entity, under one management, either direct or indirect, 
and at one geographic location or address engaged in manufacturing or processing an 
API or FDF.4   
 
 
 
 
                                                           
4 See Section 744A(5) of the Act (21 U.S.C.  379j-41(5)). 
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    Contains Nonb inding Recommendations 
 
Q36.   Do all facilities, sites, and organizations that have to self-identify also have to 
pay facility fees?   
 
Please note that self-identification does not, in and of itself, trigger a liability to pay 
GDUFA facility fees.  Most facilities that self-identify are required to pay an annual 
facility user fee.  These include facilities manufacturing, or intending to manufacture, 
API of human generic drugs and/or finished dosage form (FDF) human generic drugs.  
Other sites and organizations must self-identify, but are not required to pay the annual 
facility user fee.  These include facilities that solely manufacture positron emission 
tomography (PET) drugs, or sites and organizations that only perform testing, 
repackaging, or relabeling operations.  Please note that while repackagers are not 
required to pay user fees, packagers are, in most cases, FDF manufacturers and subject 
to facility fees.   
   
For more information on self-identification, please visit    
http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/UserFee s/GenericDrugUserFees/default.htm, and see 
the final guidance on Self-Identification of Generic Drug Facilities, Sites, and 
Organizations.  
 
Q37.   If a facility is first identified, or intended to be identified, in a pending or approved 
generic drug submission after the due date for payment of the facility fee for a fiscal 
year, is it required to pay the fee for that year?   
 
No.  The obligation to pay the fee depends on the status of the facility on the due date, 
the first business day on or after October 1 of each fiscal year.  In most cases the critical 
question will be whether there is a generic drug submission pending or approved on the 
due date in which the facility is referenced.   
 
If the facility is first identified, or intended to be identified, in a pending or approved 
generic drug submission after the due date, its owner will be first obligated to pay a 
facility fee on the next due date.  However, if a facility is identified, or intended to be 
identified, in a pending or approved generic drug submission on the due date, and that 
reference to the facility is later withdrawn, or the drug submission is later withdrawn, the 
fee will not be refunded. 
 
Q38.    How can a facility be sure that it is no longer identified in an ANDA so that it no 
longer incurs new user fees?   
 
An ANDA sponsor should remove from the ANDA any reference to a manufacturing 
facility when that facility no longer manufactures its API or FDF and when it no longer 
seeks to retain the facility as an approved manufacturer of the API or FDF.  The ANDA 
sponsor may remove sites that are no longer used, but in some cases may need to provide 
justification if the site being removed has not been replaced by another appropriate site to 
continue the approved function. 
 
An ANDA sponsor can identify a facility that it does not own in its application only if the 
owner of that facility has provided the ANDA sponsor permission to refer to the facility.  
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If the owner of the facility withdraws that permission, FDA will consider that facility to no 
longer be identified in the application as of the date when FDA receives notice of that 
withdrawal.  Please note that if the permission is withdrawn the facility will no longer be 
approved for manufacture of the FDF, or the API, covered by that application. 
 
Since a facility continues to incur facility fees until FDA is notified of the facilitys 
withdrawal of permission, the Agency encourages a person who wishes to withdraw 
permission for its facility to be identified in an ANDA to take the following steps prior to 
the FY fee due date: 
 
1.   Notify the ANDA sponsor and/or DMF holder in writing that it is withdrawing its 
permission to reference the facility in its ANDA and/or DMF.  
 
2.   Send a copy of this letter to the standard application submission methods for 
ANDAs and DMFs via FDA electronic gateway or by mail to the ANDA archival 
file at the following address:   
 
Office of Generic Drugs (HFD-600) 
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research  
Food and Drug Administration  
Document Control Room  
Metro Park North VII  
7620 Standish Pl.  
Rockville, MD 20855 
 
3.   In addition, email the copy of the withdrawal letter to the Division of User Fee 
Management and Budget Formulation at CDERCollections@fda.hhs.gov.  
 
4.   If you are a DMF holder, be sure to also update your DMF with this change. 
   
Q39.   Will a facility owner have to pay a GDUFA fee if the facility is manufacturing only 
non-generic APIs or FDFs, but is referenced in a generic drug submission?   
   
Yes.  An entity will incur facility fees if it manufactures any human drugs and is 
referenced in a generic drug submission on the facility fee due date. 
 
Q40.   Will a facility owner have to pay a GDUFA fee if the facility is referenced in a 
generic drug submission, but is only manufacturing drugs for the non-US market?                       
 
  Yes. 
 
Q41.    Does a facility that is not currently manufacturing an API or FDF have to pay the 
applicable facility fees?  
 
A facility listed in a generic drug submission  pending or approved  incurs annual 
facility fees as long as it is identified in a generic drug submission, even if the facility 
has not started commercial-scale production of the API or FDF covered by that 
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submission, or if the facility has stopped, temporarily or permanently, the production 
of that API or FDF.  See question 38 for a description of how a facility can ensure 
that it is no longer identified in an ANDA.   
 
The facility will cease to incur additional fees if it is no longer identified in any 
generic drug submission or has stopped manufacturing all APIs and FDFs (including 
both generic and non-generic APIs and FDFs) by the date that the fee is due.  Any 
outstanding fee obligations will, however, remain due. 
 
Q42.    If a facility manufactures both FDFs and APIs for generic drugs, does it incur more 
than one facility fee?   
 
Yes.  Under GDUFA, such a facility incurs annual FDF and API facility fees.  Any such 
facility incurs both fees regardless of whether the API is offered for sale as an API or is 
offered for sale only after it is further processed so as to become an FDF within the 
meaning of the statute. 
 
Q43.   Is a facility that manufactures an API excipient mixture or a mixture of two or more 
APIs used to produce FDFs required to pay an annual FDF facility fee?   
 
Generally, manufacturers of API mixtures are required to pay the annual FDF facility fee.  
However, GDUFA provides one exception, for fee-paying purposes only, to the definition 
of in-process mixtures as FDF.  GDUFA defines an API mixture as an API when it is 
produced because the API is unstable and cannot be transported on its own.  Examples 
include: an API mixed with an antioxidant for chemical stability when the API is prone to 
oxidative degradation or an API excipient mixture for physical stability to maintain its 
amorphous form. 
 
Any facility producing an API and further processing it with an excipient or another API is 
also required to pay an annual API fee, regardless of whether the API is offered for sale as 
an API or is offered for sale only after it is further processed so as to become an FDF 
within the meaning of the statute. 
 
Q44.   Who does FDA consider as a packager for purposes of GDUFA? 
 
If you receive product prior to the point in the manufacturing process in which 
the drug is first packaged in a container/closure system specified in the How 
Supplied section of an approved ANDA and you package that product into such 
a container/closure system for the first time, you are a packager for purposes of 
GDUFA.  Every ANDA specifies the forms in which the approved drug product 
may be distributed in the How Supplied section.     
 
For example, if you receive bulk drugs and package them into the containers in 
which they are marketed, you are a packager.   
 
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You also are a packager if you receive product in a container/closure specified in 
the How Supplied section of an approved ANDA, and apply the FDA-approved 
prescription package labeling to that product for the first time. 
 
Q45.   Are facilities that manufacture atypical APIs required to pay API facility 
fees?   
 
  Facilities that process raw materials used to manufacture human generic drugs are 
generally required to pay annual facility fees if they supply a product that qualifies as an 
API as defined in GDUFA. 
 
Q46.    Are packagers required to pay FDF facility fees?  
 
Packagers are considered to be manufacturers, regardless of whether that packaging is 
done pursuant to a contract or by the applicant itself. Such facilities are required to pay 
annual FDF facility fees.  Repackagers are not required to pay facility fees under 
GDUFA. 
 
Q47.    Are quality control (QC) testing sites required to pay annual facility fees?  
 
No.  They are only required to self-identify. 
 
Q48.  Is there a difference in fees between foreign and domestic generic drug 
facilities?  
 
Yes.  GDUFA specifies that the amount of the fee for a facility located outside the 
United States and its territories and possessions shall not be less than $15,000 and not 
more than $30,000 higher than the amount of the fee for a domestic facility.  The 
differential amount is designed to reflect the higher costs of inspections funded, in part, 
through GDUFA. 
 
The cost differential has been set by FDA at $15,000 for each year of GDUFA. 
 
Q49.  Do two locations of the same company have to pay separate facility fees? 
 
The answer depends on geography.  If the same companys two locations manufacture a 
U.S. generic product and they are in different geographic locations, each has to pay an 
annual facility fee.  However, separate buildings within close proximity are considered to 
be at one geographic location or address if:  
 
(1) the activities in them are closely related to the same business enterprise;  
(2) they are under the supervision of the same local management3; and  
(3) they are capable of being inspected by FDA during a single inspection  
                                                           
3 The statute further states that if a business or other entity would meet the definition of a facility but for being 
under multiple management, the business or entity is deemed to constitute multiple facilities, one per 
management entity. 
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These are the same criteria used to evaluate whether separate FDA Facility Establishment 
Identifiers (FEIs) are necessary for multiple facilities (see final guidance Self-Identification 
of Generic Drug Facilities, Sites, and Organizations). 
 
If a firm believes that multiple FEIs have been assigned in error, the firm may request 
consolidation of the FEIs.  Please note that once a facility fee is incurred, the fee remains 
outstanding regardless of whether FDA later agrees to consolidation of FEI numbers.  
Domestic firms should submit the request to the appropriate FDA District office.  Contact 
information is available at 
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/ICECI/Inspections/IOM/UCM123522.pdf.  Foreign firms 
should contact FDAGDUFAFEIRequest@fda.hhs.gov. 
 
Q50.   What is the penalty for failure to pay a facility fee? 
 
There are several consequences for failure to pay a facility fee:  
  
(1) no new generic drug submission referencing the facility will be received 
until the fee is paid   
(2) the facility will be placed on a publicly available arrears list if the fee is 
not fully paid within 20 days of the due date  
(3) FDA will notify the ANDA applicant of the facilitys failure to satisfy its 
user fee obligations.   
 
Furthermore, all FDFs or APIs manufactured in the non-paying facility and all FDFs 
containing APIs manufactured in such a facility will be deemed misbranded.  This means 
that it will be a violation of federal law to ship these products in interstate commerce or to 
import them into the United States.  Such violations can result in prosecution of those 
responsible, injunctions, or seizures of misbranded products.  Products misbranded 
because of failure to pay facility fees are subject to being denied entry into the United 
States. 
 
Additionally, goal dates will not apply to applications that have already been received but 
list facilities for which facility fees are owed.  Please note that the fee is an obligation to 
the U.S. government, and the failure to pay the fee may result in collection activities by 
the government pursuant to applicable laws. 
 
  5.  Other Fee Related Questions 
 
Q51.  What is the process for paying GDUFA user fees?   
 
The process is similar to payment procedures for PDUFA and other FDA user fees.  The 
FDA website contains instructions for paying the fees. 
 
  Those responsible for payment of fees enter required information on FDAs 
website to generate a GDUFA user fee payment cover sheet. 
  The cover sheet is designed to provide the minimum necessary information to 
determine if a person has satisfied all relevant user fee obligations. 
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    Contains Nonb inding Recommendations 
 
  The cover sheet is submitted to FDA electronically generating a receipt with a 
user fee payment identification (ID) number to assist in tracking payment. 
  Fee payers may pay online by credit card or Automated Clearing House (ACH) 
electronic check or send payment by check, bank draft, U.S. postal money order, 
or wire transfer.  Cover sheets should be submitted with generic drug submissions 
and DMFs. 
 
The Generic Drug User Fee Cover Sheet and additional payment information is 
available on the GDUFA website (www.fda.gov/gdufa). 
 
Q52.    Is payment accepted in non-U.S. currency?   
 
No.  Payment must be made in U.S. currency drawn on a U.S. bank by electronic 
payments (such as by credit card or ACH electronic check), check, bank draft, U.S. postal 
money order, or wire transfer. 
 
Q53.   What happens if a person pays less than the full amount of required GDUFA fees?  
 
FDAs expectation is for full and timely payment of all GDUFA fees.  Penalties 
associated with non-payment, including refusal to receive a generic drug submission and 
failure of a DMF to be placed on a publicly available reference list, will apply until such 
obligations are satisfied in full. 
 
Those paying fees are responsible for determining all financial institution transaction 
fees that may be deducted from a companys authorized amount for payment to FDA.  
These include wire transfer and foreign exchange fees.  Please ask your financial 
institution about fees to ensure FDA receives full payment. 
 
Q54.   What happens if a person inadvertently pays more than it owes?  
 
To qualify for the return of a fee claimed to have been paid in error, a person shall submit 
to the Secretary a written request justifying such return within 180 calendar days after 
such fee was paid.  The format for submitting refund requests is Form 3913, attached as 
Appendix 1.  Form 3913 is available on the internet at 
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AboutFDA/ReportsManualsForms/Forms/UCM492188.p
df.   
 
Please note that FDA will not permit a refund if a written request is made past 180 
calendar days from the date of payment.  
 
A written overpayment or refund request should be submitted to the Division of User Fee 
Management and Budget Formulation at CDERCollections@fda.hhs.gov. 
 
Q55.    Under what conditions will FDA issue a refund?   
 
FDA will only refund payments of fees made in error.  If a fee was properly incurred, there 
will be no refund of the payment.  A refund request must be made within 180 calendar 
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days of the payment.  If a written request is not made within 180 calendar days, FDA will 
not return the fee.   
 
Q56.    What are the penalties for not paying the fee by the due date?  
   
Delinquent companies will receive an invoice from the FDA detailing information on the 
user fee incurred, the due date, and payment instructions.   
 
If full payment is not received by the date specified on the invoice, interest will be charged 
at a rate set by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.  More information regarding current 
interest rates on overdue and delinquent debts may be found at 
http://www.hhs.gov/asfr/of/finpollibrary/chronorates.html.  In addition, delinquent invoices 
will have a $20 administrative fee assessed for each 30-day period that the invoice remains 
outstanding.  A penalty of 6% per year will be assessed on any invoices delinquent for 
more than 90 days, in accordance with 45 CFR Subpart B, Section 30.18. 
 
Q57.   Where should responses to FDA correspondence regarding user fee payment issues 
be directed?  
 
Responses to FDA correspondence regarding user fee payment issues should be 
directed to the Division of User Fee Management and Budget Formulation at 
CDERCollections@fda.hhs.gov. 
 
In addition, responses should be submitted via standard application submission methods.  
These include submission via FDA electronic gateway or by mail to the ANDA archival 
file.  Correspondence sent by mail should be directed to the following addresses, as 
appropriate: 
 
Office of Generic Drugs (HFD-600) 
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research 
Food and Drug Administration 
Document Control Room 
Metro Park North VII  
7620 Standish Place 
Rockville, MD 20855 
 
 
Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research 
Document Control Center 
10903 New Hampshire Avenue  
WO71, G112 
Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002 
 
The Division of User Fee Management and Budget Formulation provides assistance in 
resolving outstanding user fee payment questions from industry.  Given fixed statutory 
deadlines, contacting the Office of Generic Drugs directly, without including the Division 
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    Contains Nonb inding Recommendations 
 
of User Fee Management and Budget Formulation, may result in delays that increase the 
possibility of incurring statutory penalties. 
 
If an applicant has a user fee question unrelated to an issued user fee correspondence 
from FDA, please email askgdufa@fda.hhs.gov. 
 
Q58.   Who will receive user fee-related communications?    
 
FDA will send user fee-related correspondence to the Applicants Responsible Official 
listed in boxes 32-37 of the Form FDA 356h.  For DMF and facility-related issues, FDA 
will contact the DMF holder or facility owner. 
 
Q59.   May one entity pay GDUFA fees on behalf of another entity?  
 
Yes. 
 
Q60.   Are there any exemptions from the fees for categories of drugs?   
 
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) drug manufacturers are the only human generic 
drug manufacturers excluded from payment of GDUFA fees.  However, they are 
required to self-identify.  FDA also requests that all drug manufacturers, including 
generic PET manufacturers, submit a user fee cover sheet with any new FDA 
submissions.  PET manufacturers should complete a generic drug user fee cover sheet 
for $0. 
 
Q61.    Should PET drug manufacturers submit a generic drug user fee cover sheet?       
 
Yes.  A PET GDUFA cover sheet may be created and submitted electronically through the 
User Fee System.  Please see http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/UserFees/default.htm for 
more information. 
 
Q62.   Are reduced fees available for small businesses or others?   
 
No.  The majority of generic companies are small companies that are expected to 
benefit significantly from reductions in the review time needed to commercialize their 
products  and  from  the  certainty  associated  with  performance  review  metrics  and 
program efficiencies. 
 
In addition to diminishing the fee-paying base, the cost of a fee waiver or reduction 
provision would have added to the administrative cost of the GDUFA program.  As such, 
no fee waiver or reduction provision was included.  Congress specifically considered this 
issue and agreed with the decision not to have a fee waiver or reduction mechanism in 
GDUFA, whose individual fee amounts are expected to be orders of magnitude less than 
those in PDUFA. 
 
 
 
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Q63.   How does FDA communicate and update the arrears lists?   
 
The backlog arrears list, facility arrears list, and outstanding facility fees  not on arrears 
list are available on the GDUFA website (www.fda.gov/gdufa) and are updated regularly. 
 
Q64.   What are the consequences of a sponsors affiliation with an entity on the 
arrears list?   
 
FDA cannot receive generic drug submissions from sponsors that are affiliated with an 
entity on the arrears list.  If FDA discovers that a sponsor or its affiliate is on the arrears 
list, FDA will refuse to receive the generic drug submission until the sponsor or affiliate 
satisfies all of its outstanding user fee obligations.  See question 8 for the definition of an 
affiliate. 
 
Q65.   Will FDA notify sponsors that their affiliate is on the arrears list before 
refusing to receive the submission?  
 
No, FDA will not notify sponsors before refusing to receive a submission.  Companies are 
in the best position monitor their business affiliates for compliance with GDUFA.  It is an 
applicants responsibility to ensure that its user fee obligations, as well as those of its 
affiliates, are satisfied before submitting a new generic drug submission. 
 
Q66.  What should a sponsor do if FDA refuses to receive a submission because the 
sponsor, or an affiliate of the sponsor, is on the arrears list?  
 
Before FDA can receive the submission, the sponsor must ensure that it and its affiliates 
are removed from the arrears list by satisfying the outstanding obligations.  The sponsor is 
not required to pay the ANDA or PAS filing fee a second time; instead, the sponsor need 
only ensure that all outstanding user fee obligations are satisfied. 
 
Q67.    If a company believes that its appearance on the arrears list is in error, whom 
should it contact?   
 
It should contact the Division of User Fee Management and Budget Formulation at 
CDERCollections@fda.hhs.gov.  Please include a concise rationale for why the 
facility should not be included on the arrears list. 
 
Q68.   How does FDA determine the date and time of submission when a generic drug 
submission or Type II DMF is sent electronically?   
 
A generic drug submission or Type II API DMF is deemed to be submitted to FDA on the 
calendar day when the electronic submission arrives at FDA's electronic gateway, except 
when a submission is made on a weekend, Federal holiday, or a day when the FDA office 
that will review the submission is not otherwise open for business.  In those cases, the 
submission will be deemed to be submitted on the next day that office is open for 
business.   
 
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Q69.   How does FDA determine the date and time of submission when a generic drug 
submission or Type II DMF is sent in physical media form?    
 
For a generic drug submission or Type II API DMF that is submitted in physical media 
form, the date of submission will be the day it arrives at the appropriate designated FDA 
document room except when a submission arrives on a weekend or a day when the FDA 
office is not otherwise open for business.  In those cases, the submission will be deemed 
to be submitted on the next day that office is open for business.   
 
Q70.   How is the date and time of submission affected when a generic drug submission 
or Type II DMF is submitted during a government-wide shutdown or when 
inclement weather closes the government?   
 
When a government-wide shutdown or inclement weather occurs, FDA is considered 
not open for business and will not receive generic drug submissions until the next 
day that the FDA is open for business. 
 
Q71.   When did GDUFA fees begin?   
 
On October 1, 2012. 
 
Q72.   Do GDUFA fees apply to drugs that are not generic drugs or not human 
generic drugs? 
 
No.  GDUFA fees apply only to generic drugs manufactured for human use. 
 
Q73.   Does GDUFA provide any mechanism for disputes concerning fees?   
 
A person may submit a written request disputing FDAs assessment of user fees to 
CDERCollections@fda.hhs.gov.  For refund requests, please use Form 3913, which is 
available on the internet at 
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AboutFDA/ReportsManualsForms/Forms/UCM492188.p
df.  If a refund request is not made within 180 calendar days of the payment receipt date, 
no return of fees is permitted.   
 
GDUFA does not provide a separate mechanism for disputes concerning fees, but the 
following FDA websites have information pertaining to formal and informal dispute 
resolution.  For information on the formal dispute resolution process, please refer to 
http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/OfficeofMedicalProductsandTobacco/CD
ER/ContactCDER/ucm444092.htm, and see FDA guidance on Formal Dispute 
Resolution: Appeals Above the Division Level, Revision 2 (September 2015).  See 21 
CFR 10.75 and 21 CFR 314.103 for more information.  
 
For information on informal dispute resolution, please refer to 
http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/OfficeofMedicalProductsandTobacco/CDE
R/ContactCDER/CDEROmbudsman/default.htm 
 
 
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Q74.   How does GDUFA affect FDAs refuse to receive policy?   
 
GDUFA adds a new requirement to FDAs existing refuse to receive policy with 
respect to payment of fees and the time of receipt of an ANDA. 
 
 
  Failure to pay an ANDA fee within 20 calendar days of the applicable due date 
will result in the ANDA not being received. 
  Failure to pay the fee for a DMF referenced in the ANDA within 20 calendar days 
of the date that FDA provides notification of that failure will result in the ANDA 
not being received. 
  Failure to pay a facility fee already owed for any facility referenced in the ANDA 
within 20 calendar days of the date that FDA provides notification of that failure 
will result in the ANDA not being received. 
  If an application is substantially complete except for failure to pay the ANDA fee, 
or the failure to pay the facility fee within 20 days of notification, the application 
will be deemed received as of the date the fee is paid. 
 
 
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IV.  ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS LIST 
 
The following is a list of abbreviations and acronyms used in the Generic Drug User Fee Amendments of 
2012: Questions and Answers Guidance: 
 
 
 
ANDA  abbreviated new drug application  
API  active pharmaceutical ingredient  
BA  bioavailability 
BE  bioequivalence 
BLA  biologic license application 
CDER  Center for Drug Evaluation and Research 
DMF  drug master file 
FD&C Act  Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act 
FDA  Food and Drug Administration 
FDF  finished dosage form 
FEI  facility establishment identifier 
FR  Federal Register 
FY  fiscal year 
GDUFA  Generic Drug User Fee Amendments of 2012 
ID  identification 
NDA  new drug application 
OGD  Office of Generic Drugs 
PAS  prior approval supplement  
PDUFA  Prescription Drug User Fee Act 
PET  positron emission tomography 
Q&A  questions and answers 
RLD  reference listed drug 
RTR  refuse to receive 
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