§ 251.16 Laboratory testing requirements. ( a ) The manufacturer or the Importer must arrange for drugs imported under an authorized SIP to be tested by a qualifying laboratory.
( b ) Unless the manufacturer conducts the Statutory Testing, in accordance with this part, the manufacturer of the drugs imported under an authorized SIP must supply to the Importer, within 30 calendar days of receiving the Importer's request, all information needed to conduct the Statutory Testing, including any testing protocols, Certificate of Analysis, and samples of analytical reference standards that the manufacturer has developed. The manufacturer must also provide the Importer, within 30 calendar days of receiving the Importer's request, with formulation information about the HPFB-approved drug, a stability-indicating assay, and the FDA-approved drug to facilitate authentication.
( c ) Testing done on a statistically valid sample of the batch or shipment, as applicable, must be sufficiently thorough to establish, in conjunction with data and information from the manufacturer, that the batch or shipment is eligible for importation under a SIP. The size of the sample must be large enough to enable a statistically valid statement to be made regarding the authenticity and stability of the quantity of the batch in the shipment or the entire shipment, as applicable.
( d ) The statistically valid sample of the HPFB-approved drug must be subjected to testing to confirm that the HPFB-approved drug meets the FDA-approved drug's specifications and standards, which include the analytical procedures and methods and the acceptance criteria. In addition, to test for degradation, a stability-indicating assay provided by the manufacturer must be conducted on the sample of the drug that is proposed for import.
( e ) If the manufacturer performs the Statutory Testing at a qualifying laboratory, the testing results, a complete set of laboratory records, a detailed description of the selection method for the samples, the testing methods used, complete data derived from all tests necessary to ensure that the eligible prescription drug meets the specifications and standards of the FDA-approved drug that are established in the NDA or ANDA, a Certificate of Analysis, and any other documentation demonstrating that the testing meets the requirements under section 804 must be submitted in electronic format directly to FDA via the ESG or to an alternative transmission point identified by FDA. The manufacturer must notify the Importer and FDA of the manufacturer's intent to perform the Statutory Testing, and identify the qualifying laboratory for FDA review and approval pursuant to section 804 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, within 30 calendar days of receipt of the request from the Importer described in paragraph (b) of this section.
( f ) Regardless of whether testing under this section is performed by the manufacturer or Importer, the sample of a batch or shipment of drugs must be randomly selected for testing or, in the alternative, the sample must be selected to be representative of the quantity of the batch in a shipment or of a shipment, as applicable.
( g ) Information supplied by the manufacturer to authenticate the prescription drug being tested and confirm that the labeling of the prescription drug complies with labeling requirements under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and any trade secrets or commercial or financial information that is privileged or confidential that the manufacturer supplies for the purposes of testing or otherwise complying with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and this part, must be kept in strict confidence and used only for the purposes of testing or otherwise complying with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and this part.
( h ) To ensure that the information described in paragraph (g) of this section is protected: ( 1 ) The information that the manufacturer supplies about a prescription drug must not be disseminated except for the purpose of testing or otherwise complying with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and this part; and
( 2 ) The SIP Sponsor must take all of the steps set out in the authorized SIP Proposal to ensure that the information is kept in strict confidence and used only for the purpose of testing or otherwise complying with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and this part.