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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 228 (Tuesday, November 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 93305-93308]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-27654]

[[Page 93305]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2024-N-2888]

Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office 
of Management and Budget Review; Comment Request; Substantial 
Equivalence Reports for Tobacco Products

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, Agency, or we) is 
announcing that a proposed collection of information has been submitted 
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Submit written comments (including recommendations) on the 
collection of information by December 26, 2024.

ADDRESSES: To ensure that comments on the information collection are 
received, OMB recommends that written comments be submitted to https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information 
collection by selecting ``Currently under Review--Open for Public 
Comments'' or by using the search function. The OMB control number for 
this information collection is 0910-0673. Also include the FDA docket 
number found in brackets in the heading of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: JonnaLynn Capezzuto, Office of 
Operations, Food and Drug Administration, Three White Flint North, 10A-
12M, 11601 Landsdown St., North Bethesda, MD 20852, 301-796-3794, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In compliance with 44 U.S.C. 3507, FDA has 
submitted the following proposed collection of information to OMB for 
review and clearance.

Substantial Equivalence Reports for Tobacco Products

OMB Control Number 0910-0673--Revision

    This information collection supports FDA requirements for the 
content and format of Substantial Equivalence (SE) Reports which are 
utilized to establish the substantial equivalence of a tobacco product. 
Sections 905(j)(1)(A)(i) and 910(a) of the Federal Food, Drug, and 
Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) (21 U.S.C. 387e(j)(1)(A)(i) and 387j(a)) 
established requirements for substantial equivalence and premarket 
review of new tobacco products and the implementing regulations per the 
SE final rule (86 FR 55224) are found in Sec. Sec.  1107.18 and 1107.19 
(21 CFR 1107.18 and 1107.19).
    An SE Report can be submitted by any manufacturer for any new 
tobacco product seeking an FDA substantially equivalent order, under 
section 905(j) of the FD&C Act. A substantially equivalent tobacco 
product is one that has been found by FDA to have either the same 
characteristics as a predicate product or has different characteristics 
than the predicate tobacco product, but the SE Report demonstrates that 
the new product does not raise different questions of public health. A 
predicate tobacco product is one that was commercially marketed (other 
than for test marketing) in the United States as of February 15, 2007, 
or is a product previously found to be substantially equivalent by FDA. 
Generally, an applicant may amend its SE Report (21 CFR 1107.20), 
withdraw its SE Report after submission (21 CFR 1107.22), and change 
the ownership of its SE Report (21 CFR 1107.24). Electronic submission 
of SE Reports is required, unless the applicant requests and is granted 
a waiver.
    FDA will have three forms required for use (once this revision is 
approved) under Sec.  1107.18(a) when submitting an SE Report to the 
Agency: Form FDA 3965; Form FDA 3965a; and Form FDA 3965b.
    Form FDA 3965 is for use when submitting a tobacco SE Report to the 
Agency. Form FDA 3965 and its corresponding instructions have been 
updated to assist industry users in completing the form efficiently and 
correctly. The flow and organization of the form have been updated to 
follow a consistent style and appearance with other FDA forms related 
to tobacco product submissions.
    Form FDA 3965a is the Tobacco Substantial Equivalence Report 
Amendment and General Correspondence Submission form that was formerly 
Form FDA 3964. FDA has revised the form number of Form FDA 3964 to Form 
FDA 3965a to align to Form FDA 3965, the Tobacco Substantial 
Equivalence Report Submission. Form FDA 3965a is for use when firms are 
submitting amendments and other general correspondence for an SE Report 
to the Agency. Form FDA 3965a and its corresponding instructions have 
been updated to assist industry users in completing the form 
efficiently and correctly. The flow and organization of the form have 
been updated to follow a consistent style and appearance with Form FDA 
3965. As part of the form organization update, Form FDA 3965a has been 
split into three main parts: Applicant Information, Amendment 
Information, and General Correspondence. Industry users are able to 
select the submission type, selecting from Amendment or General 
Correspondence, in Part B of Section I--Applicant Information. After a 
selection is made, industry users may skip to the appropriate section 
to complete. Form FDA 3965b is the new SE Unique Identification for New 
and Predicate Tobacco Products form that assists industry and FDA in 
identifying the products that are the subject of a submission where an 
applicant groups multiple SE Reports into a single submission (referred 
to as a bundled submission or a grouped submission).
    The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 (Pub. L. 117-103) (the 
Appropriations Act), enacted on March 15, 2022, amended the definition 
of the term ``tobacco product'' in section 201(rr) of the FD&C Act (21 
U.S.C. 321(rr)) to include products that contain nicotine from any 
source. As a result, non-tobacco nicotine (NTN) products that were not 
previously subject to the FD&C Act (e.g., products containing synthetic 
nicotine) are now subject to all of the tobacco product provisions in 
the FD&C Act that began on April 14, 2022, including the requirement of 
premarket review for new tobacco products. The Appropriations Act also 
makes all regulations and guidances applicable to tobacco products 
apply to NTN products on that same effective date.
    The Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) is planning a significant 
upgrade to the submission process for SE applications. This upgrade, 
known as the CTP Portal Next Generation (CTP Portal NG), is a pivotal 
step forward in streamlining the application process for the tobacco 
industry. Presently, the tobacco industry uses multiple tools in the 
preparation and submission of SE applications to CTP, including PDF-
editing software, FDA's eSubmitter Desktop tool, and FDA's CTP Portal 
web application. A submitter must first download and complete PDF 
versions of Form FDA 3965 and 3965a for SE applications and amendments, 
respectively, using any PDF-editing software. Once the PDF form is 
complete, the tobacco industry uses the eSubmitter Desktop tool 
(https://www.fda.gov/industry/fda-esubmitter/using-esubmitter-prepare-tobacco-product-submissions) to prepare the submission for delivery to 
CTP, which requires creating a new submission using eSubmitter's 
electronic CTP

[[Page 93306]]

Transmittal Form and providing contact information, the completed Form 
FDA 3965 and/or 3965a, and any supporting documentation. When complete, 
the eSubmitter tool then packages the submission form, data, and 
documents into a ZIP file, saved locally, and the tobacco industry must 
log into their CTP Portal account (https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/manufacturing/submit-documents-ctp-portal) and upload the 
packaged submission ZIP file. To use CTP Portal, an organization must 
first go through the process of setting up an Industry Account Manager 
(IAM) (https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/manufacturing/request-industry-account-manager-iam-ctp-portal), which will then allow the IAM 
to manage CTP Portal accounts for their organization and submit 
submissions.
    The new CTP Portal NG application transforms this process by 
providing the tobacco industry with the ability to create, prepare, and 
deliver their submissions in one place. CTP Portal NG will provide web 
forms of Form FDA 3965 and 3965a for SE applications and amendments, 
respectively, which will improve the submission preparation process for 
the tobacco industry as it will provide tools to expedite the entry of 
data and supporting documentation, dynamically guide users to relevant 
sections of the forms based on their input, and improve quality by 
providing helpful information on the questions being requested and 
verifying all required data has been provided. CTP Portal NG has a 
built-in process for applicants to upload Form FDA 3965b after 
applicants complete Form FDA 3965b and validate it using a new 
validator tool. When complete, CTP Portal NG allows applicants to 
submit the completed web forms to CTP for review. This innovation 
eliminates the current three-step process using PDF-editing software, 
eSubmitter, and CTP Portal and provides a more integrated, user-
friendly experience.
    Existing CTP Portal user accounts will be migrated to CTP Portal 
NG. Users may be prompted for a password reset during their initial 
login to the new system. The process for creating new user accounts and 
overall user account management will largely remain consistent with the 
current system. CTP is committed to ensuring a smooth transition to CTP 
Portal NG and will provide necessary support and guidance throughout 
this change.
    Submitters can visit the following web page which describes the 
process for submitting a SE Report: https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/market-and-distribute-tobacco-product/substantial-equivalence.
    In the Federal Register of July 16, 2024 (89 FR 57903), FDA 
published a 60-day notice requesting public comment on the proposed 
collection of information. FDA received one comment responsive to the 
four information collection topics solicited and one comment that was 
not responsive to those topics.
    (Comment) FDA should provide clarity around how Portal Next 
Generation will operate and hold a workshop to solicit feedback from 
regulated industry prior to its implementation. In addition, FDA should 
focus on other SE process reforms that can have an even greater impact 
on efficiency.
    (Response) Thank you for your detailed comments in response to the 
Federal Register Notice regarding the proposed information collection 
for SE reports and associated recordkeeping requirements. We appreciate 
your engagement and value your feedback on the planned upgrade to the 
submission process through the CTP Portal NG.
    The purpose of the Federal Register Notice was to introduce updates 
to the FDA Form 3965 and 3965a (previously 3964) paper forms and to 
inform stakeholders that FDA Forms 3965 and 3965a (previously 3964) 
will be made available as web forms through the new CTP Portal NG. The 
wireframes included in the Notice were intended to serve as an 
approximate representation of the fields and workflow specifically 
associated with the new 3965 and 3965a web forms for public comment, 
and as such, do not detail all of the planned functionality for CTP 
Portal NG nor do they represent the final versions of the forms.
    The CTP acknowledges and agrees with the need for further clarity 
regarding the implementation and functionality of CTP Portal NG. To 
address these concerns, CTP will provide the regulated industry, and 
other stakeholders, an opportunity to engage directly with the new 
system, navigate the platform, and offer substantive feedback on the 
workflow and usability of the new Portal.
    Additionally, we would like to clarify that SE applications 
submitted under the current system will be seamlessly integrated into 
the new platform. The intent of CTP Portal NG is to streamline and 
enhance the efficiency of the submission process by providing web-based 
forms that simplify data entry, minimize the need for multiple tools, 
and support the submission of required information in a structured 
manner.
    CTP looks forward to engaging with our industry partners and will 
take all feedback into consideration to ensure that the final 
implementation of CTP Portal NG meets the needs of the regulated 
community while fulfilling CTP's regulatory and statutory obligations.
    FDA is also actively working on improving the application review 
process. As new processes are developed, FDA is committed to 
transparency with industry and other stakeholders. CTP Portal NG is in 
line with our intent to improve application review. It helps the 
applicant provide information required by the Substantial Equivalent 
and Recordkeeping Requirements regulations in an identifiable format. 
Additionally, the guidance provided in CTP Portal NG will reduce 
applicant burden by highlighting missing information in fields that 
contain required content prior to submission and providing applicants 
with an opportunity to include missing content.
    FDA estimates the burden of this collection of information as 
follows:

                                                     Table 1--Estimated Annual Reporting Burden 1 3
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                                                                 Number of
                                                    Number of    responses    Total  annual
       Activity; FDA form; 21 CFR  section         respondents      per         responses            Average burden per  response          Total  hours
                                                                 respondent
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SE Report--1107.18..............................         1,139            1           1,139  300........................................         341,700
SE Report where applicant provides certification           431            1             431  10.........................................           4,310
 for identical characteristics--1107.18(g) and
 1107.18(l)(2).
Form FDA 3965--Tobacco Substantial Equivalence           1,570            1           1,570  0.75 (45 minutes)..........................           1,178
 Report Submission.

[[Page 93307]]

 
Form FDA 3965a \2\--Tobacco Amendment and                  628            1             628  0.16 (10 minutes)..........................             100
 General Correspondence Report.
Form FDA 3965b--SE Unique Identification for New         1,570            1           1,570  1..........................................           1,570
 and Predicate Tobacco Products.
SE Grouping Spreadsheet Validator...............         1,570            1           1,570  0.08 (5 minutes)...........................             126
Waiver from Electronic submission--1107.62(b)...             5            1               5  0.25 (15 minutes)..........................               1
                                                 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................  ............  ...........           6,913  ...........................................         348,985
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\1\ There are no capital costs or operating and maintenance costs associated with this collection of information.
\2\ Formerly Form FDA 3964, Tobacco Substantial Equivalence Report Amendment and General Correspondence Submission.
\3\ Totals may not sum due to rounding.

    FDA has based these estimates on experience with this information 
collection, information we have available from interactions with 
industry, registration and listing data, information related to other 
regulated products, and FDA expectations regarding the tobacco 
industry's use of the substantial equivalence pathway to market their 
products. We have revised our previous estimates based on these 
experiences. Utilizing registration and listing data for deemed tobacco 
products, the estimated annual number of SE Reports is expected to be 
1,570.
    When several full SE Reports contain identical content, these SE 
Reports may be bundled into a single submission. Similarly, SE Reports 
in which the characteristics of the products are certified as identical 
and the contents of the SE Reports are also identical, these may also 
be bundled. FDA anticipates the burden for an applicant to be generally 
the same if they submit bundled submissions or individual applications 
as such, both are captured under SE Reports. As mentioned previously, 
NTN products that were not previously subject to the FD&C Act (e.g., 
products containing synthetic nicotine) are now subject to all tobacco 
product provisions in the FD&C Act beginning on April 14, 2022. Based 
on this new authority, we do not believe a change is needed in our 
burden estimates because FDA has received significantly fewer NTN SE 
Reports than anticipated.
    Table 1 describes the annual reporting burden per the requirements 
in Sec. Sec.  1107.18 and 1107.19. FDA estimates that we will receive 
1,139 full initial SE Reports for a new tobacco product each year under 
Sec.  1107.18 that take a manufacturer approximately 300 hours to 
prepare. We have consolidated our previous numbers in the burden chart 
of full and bundled SE Reports (683 and 456) to reach the 1,139 
estimate. In addition, anyone submitting an SE Report is required to 
submit an environmental assessment prepared in accordance with 21 CFR 
25.40 under Sec.  1107.18(k). The burden for environmental reports has 
been included in the burden per response for each type of SE Report.
    FDA estimates receiving 239 SE Reports where applicants provide a 
certification for some identical characteristics under Sec. Sec.  
1107.18(g) and 1107.18(l)(2). We also estimate receiving 192 bundled SE 
Reports where applicants provide a certification for some identical 
characteristics under Sec. Sec.  1107.18(g) and 1107.18(l)(2) (other 
than the initial SE Report in the bundle). FDA anticipates the burden 
for an applicant to be generally the same if they submit bundled 
submissions or individual applications as such, both are captured under 
SE Report where applicant provides certification for identical 
characteristics. We believe that the number of SE Reports that include 
a certification will increase because applicants may certify that 
certain characteristics are identical in the new tobacco product and 
the predicate tobacco product. However, in the absence of specific 
information on how many more applicants might choose to certify, we are 
maintaining our previous estimates at this time. As certification 
statements and additional guidance are given by the Agency within Form 
FDA 3965, FDA expects applicants to submit less technical information. 
As a result, we expect applicants total burden hours per applications 
to decrease. Therefore, we have decreased the burden per response for 
these SE Reports.
    Manufacturers are required to submit SE Reports electronically 
(Sec.  1107.62 (21 CFR 1107.62)). We estimate that it would initially 
take about 45 minutes per product to fill out the Form FDA 3965. 
However, for amendments, we estimate that filling out Form FDA 3965a 
will take 10 minutes as applicants can copy and paste from the first 
submission. Section 1107.62(b) also allows applicants to request a 
waiver from the electronic format requirement. Based on experience 
since implementing the Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) 
rule, FDA does not believe we will receive many waivers, so we have 
decreased the number of respondents to five respondents to acknowledge 
the option to submit a waiver. Consistent with our other application 
estimates for waivers, we believe it would take 0.25 hours (15 minutes) 
per waiver for a total of 1 hour.
    FDA is revising this collection to include a new form (Form FDA 
3965b) and a validator tool for Form FDA 3965b that will help 
applicants submit information for their SE Reports in the correct 
format. Form FDA 3965b assists industry and FDA in identifying the 
products that are the subject of a submission, particularly where an 
applicant groups multiple new tobacco products into a single 
submission. This includes grouping products that are from the same 
manufacturer or domestic importer and in the same product category and 
subcategory into a single submission. FDA discussed bundled submissions 
in the SE rule (86 FR 55224) and noted that FDA intends to consider 
information on each new tobacco product and its corresponding predicate 
tobacco product as a separate, individual SE Report as required under 
Sec.  1107.18(c)(7), Sec.  1107.18(g), and Sec.  1107.19. By having the 
identifying information for products contained in an SE Report be more 
clearly organized within the required forms, FDA will be able to 
process and review the applications contained in a grouped submission 
more efficiently.
    The form assists applicants in providing the unique identifying 
information for each product in single and grouped submissions of SE 
Reports. A respondent would utilize Form FDA

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3965b once for each submission. We assume the submitter could include 
from 1 to 2,000 products in each Form FDA 3965b. Entering data for up 
to 2,000 rows can take approximately 4 hours on average per Form FDA 
3965b for manual data entry. We reflect the average time of 60 minutes 
per response based on the assumption that we expect to receive an 
average of 25 bundled products per submission. Assuming 60 minutes per 
Form FDA 3965b for 1,570 applications, we estimate a total burden of 
1,570 hours for this activity.
    The FDA Tobacco Product Grouping Spreadsheet Validator (Validator) 
is a free software that validates the content of FDA product grouping 
spreadsheets such as ``Form FDA 3965b--SE Unique Identification for New 
and Predicate Tobacco Products.'' The Validator is available for 
voluntary use by the tobacco industry (sponsors, manufacturers, and 
importers) prior to submitting a product grouping spreadsheet to FDA.
    The Validator allows industry users to validate product attributes 
in their product grouping spreadsheet with the defined and accepted 
product data standards and to make corrections as needed. If there are 
no errors found in a spreadsheet, the Validator will produce a 
certificate of completion that can be saved locally and included with 
the applicants FDA submission voluntarily. If errors are found during 
validation, the Validator will provide the applicants with the error at 
the end of each impacted row of the spreadsheet, allowing applicants to 
make necessary changes.
    The software and any output files reside locally on an applicant's 
computer, allowing them to work on the product grouping spreadsheet 
offline. The Validator does not transmit any data across the web to 
FDA. FDA does not have the ability to access, review, or supplement the 
information on local computers through this application. We estimate 
that use of the Validator will take an average of 5 minutes per 
response.

                               Table 2--Estimated Annual Recordkeeping Burden \1\
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                                                     Number of                    Average burden
    Activity; 21 CFR section         Number of      records per    Total annual         per         Total hours
                                   recordkeepers   recordkeeper       records      recordkeeping
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Recordkeeping SE Report under                471               1             471               5           2,355
 1107.18-1107.58................
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\1\ There are no capital costs or operating and maintenance costs associated with this collection of
  information.

    FDA estimates that 30 percent of SE Reports or 471 respondents will 
maintain required records related to their SE Reports at 5 hours per 
record for a total of 2,355 recordkeeping hours (table 2). The first SE 
Report in a chain must use a tobacco product commercially marketed 
(other than for test marketing) in the United States as of February 15, 
2007, as a predicate product for the SE Report. Therefore, we believe 
that manufacturers will have records on those ``original'' predicate 
tobacco products from their initial SE Reports.
    Our estimated burden for the information collection reflects an 
overall increase of 69,010 hours and a corresponding increase of 2,905 
responses/records. We attribute this to adding a new form, providing 
the validator tool, and reevaluating our current estimates.

    Dated: November 20, 2024.
P. Ritu Nalubola,
Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2024-27654 Filed 11-25-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4164-01-P
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