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###### Department of Health and Human Services

###### Food and Drug Administration

          - [Docket No. FDA-2022-D-2061]

# AGENCY:

Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

# ACTION:

Notice of availability.

# SUMMARY:

                        The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing the availability of a final guidance for industry entitled “Review of Drug Master Files in Advance of Certain ANDA Submissions Under GDUFA.” This guidance provides information and recommendations on the Generic Drug User Fee Amendments (GDUFA) III program enhancements agreed upon by the Agency and industry in “GDUFA Reauthorization                               ( print page 83888)                            Performance Goals and Program Enhancements Fiscal Years 2023-2027” (GDUFA III commitment letter), related to the early assessment of certain Type II drug master files (DMFs) 6 months prior to the submission of certain abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) or prior approval supplements (PASs). This guidance describes the process outlined in the GDUFA III commitment letter in greater detail and provides recommendations to DMF holders on how to provide the relevant information to FDA. This guidance finalizes the draft guidance of the same title issued on October 6, 2022.                    

# DATES:

                        The announcement of the guidance is published in the                         **Federal Register**                         on October 18, 2024.                    

# ADDRESSES:

You may submit either electronic or written comments on Agency guidances at any time as follows:

### Electronic Submissions

Submit electronic comments in the following way:
      -  Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov . Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Comments submitted electronically, including attachments, to                      https://www.regulations.gov                      will be posted to the docket unchanged. Because your comment will be made public, you are solely responsible for ensuring that your comment does not include any confidential information that you or a third party may not wish to be posted, such as medical information, your or anyone else's Social Security number, or confidential business information, such as a manufacturing process. Please note that if you include your name, contact information, or other information that identifies you in the body of your comments, that information will be posted on                      https://www.regulations.gov .                
      - If you want to submit a comment with confidential information that you do not wish to be made available to the public, submit the comment as a written/paper submission and in the manner detailed (see “Written/Paper Submissions” and “Instructions”).

### Written/Paper Submissions

Submit written/paper submissions as follows:
      -  Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier (for written/paper submissions):                      Dockets Management Staff (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.                
      - For written/paper comments submitted to the Dockets Management Staff, FDA will post your comment, as well as any attachments, except for information submitted, marked and identified, as confidential, if submitted as detailed in “Instructions.”

*Instructions:*                     All submissions received must include the Docket No. FDA-2022-D-2061 for “Review of Drug Master Files in Advance of Certain ANDA Submissions Under GDUFA.” Received comments will be placed in the docket and, except for those submitted as “Confidential Submissions,” publicly viewable at                     *https://www.regulations.gov*                     or at the Dockets Management Staff between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, 240-402-7500.                
      - Confidential Submissions—To submit a comment with confidential information that you do not wish to be made publicly available, submit your comments only as a written/paper submission. You should submit two copies total. One copy will include the information you claim to be confidential with a heading or cover note that states “THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.” The Agency will review this copy, including the claimed confidential information, in its consideration of comments. The second copy, which will have the claimed confidential information redacted/blacked out, will be available for public viewing and posted on https://www.regulations.gov . Submit both copies to the Dockets Management Staff. If you do not wish your name and contact information to be made publicly available, you can provide this information on the cover sheet and not in the body of your comments and you must identify this information as “confidential.” Any information marked as “confidential” will not be disclosed except in accordance with  21 CFR 10.20  and other applicable disclosure law. For more information about FDA's posting of comments to public dockets, see  80 FR 56469 , September 18, 2015, or access the information at:                      https://www.govinfo.gov/​content/​pkg/​FR-2015-09-18/​pdf/​2015-23389.pdf .                

*Docket:*                     For access to the docket to read background documents or the electronic and written/paper comments received, go to                     *https://www.regulations.gov*                     and insert the docket number, found in brackets in the heading of this document, into the “Search” box and follow the prompts and/or go to the Dockets Management Staff, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852, 240-402-7500.                

You may submit comments on any guidance at any time (see 21 CFR 10.115(g)(5)).

                    Submit written requests for single copies of this guidance to the Division of Drug Information, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, 10001 New Hampshire Ave., Hillandale Building, 4th Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002. Send one self-addressed adhesive label to assist that office in processing your requests. See the                     **SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION**                     section for electronic access to the guidance document.                

# FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ziyang Su, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Ave, Bldg. 51, Rm. 4150, Silver Spring, MD 20993, 240-402-6004.

# SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

## I. Background

                    FDA is announcing the availability of a guidance for industry entitled “Review of Drug Master Files in Advance of Certain ANDA Submissions Under GDUFA.” As described in the GDUFA III commitment letter,[1]                                          FDA has agreed to performance goals and program enhancements regarding aspects of the generic drug assessment program that build on previous authorizations of GDUFA. These enhancements to the program are designed to maximize the efficiency and utility of each assessment cycle, with the intent of reducing the number of assessment cycles for ANDAs and facilitating timely access to generic medicines for American patients. One of the enhancements included in the GDUFA III commitment letter is a mechanism to enable assessment of DMFs in advance of certain ANDA and PAS submissions.                

Historically, Type II active pharmaceutical ingredient DMFs have posed a challenge for ANDA applicants because a DMF holder's response time to Agency questions typically limits the likelihood that the DMF will be found adequate in one ANDA assessment cycle, often precluding approval of the ANDA in one assessment cycle. The program enhancement of early assessment of certain Type II DMFs should facilitate more DMFs to be found adequate in one assessment cycle, thereby potentially promoting additional ANDA approvals in one assessment cycle.

                    The purpose of this guidance is to provide information and recommendations on the early assessment of DMFs 6 months prior to the submission of certain ANDAs or PASs. It describes the process outlined in the GDUFA III commitment letter in greater detail and provides                           ( print page 83889)                        recommendations on how to provide the relevant information to FDA.                

This guidance finalizes the draft guidance of the same title issued on October 6, 2022 (87 FR 60686). FDA considered comments received on the draft guidance as the guidance was finalized, and in response a footnote was added to clarify the potential impact of unsolicited amendments submitted after the prior assessment is granted.

This guidance is being issued consistent with FDA's good guidance practices regulation (21 CFR 10.115). The guidance represents the current thinking of FDA on “Review of Drug Master Files in Advance of Certain ANDA Submissions Under GDUFA.” 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.

## II. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

While this final guidance contains no collection of information, it does refer to previously approved FDA collections of information. The previously approved collections of information are subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521). The collections of information in 21 CFR 314 have been approved under OMB control number 0910-0001.

## III. Electronic Access

                    Persons with access to the internet may obtain the guidance at                     *https://www.fda.gov/​drugs/​guidance-compliance-regulatory-information/​guidances-drugs, https://www.fda.gov/​regulatory-information/​search-fda-guidance-documents,*                     or                     *https://www.regulations.gov*.                

Dated: October 9, 2024.

Eric Flamm,

Acting Associate Commissioner for Policy.

# Footnotes

1.                             The GDUFA III commitment letter is available at                         *https://www.fda.gov/​media/​153631/​download*.                    
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[FR Doc. 2024-24104 Filed 10-17-24; 8:45 am]

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