[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 24 (Friday, February 4, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6575-6577]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-02355]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2019-D-2398]


Population Pharmacokinetics; Guidance for Industry; Availability

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 ``Population 
Pharmacokinetics.'' This guidance assists sponsors in the application 
of population pharmacokinetics (population PK) during the drug 
development process to inform drug use and includes FDA's current 
thinking on the data and model requirements for population PK analyses 
submitted as part of new drug applications (NDAs), biologic license 
applications (BLAs), and abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs). 
This guidance also provides expectations regarding the format and 
content of the population PK report, as well as any

[[Page 6576]]

labeling recommendations resulting from such analyses. This guidance 
finalizes the draft guidance of the same title issued on July 12, 2019.

DATES: The announcement of the guidance is published in the Federal 
Register on February 4, 2022.

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:
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> 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:
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> 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-2019-D-2398 for ``Population Pharmacokinetics.'' 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.
    <bullet> 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; or to the Office of 
Communication, Outreach and Development, Center for Biologics 
Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New 
Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 71, Rm. 3128, 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: Hao Zhu, Center for Drug Evaluation 
and Research, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., 
Bldg. 51, Rm. 3132, Silver Spring, MD 20993, 301-796-2772; or Stephen 
Ripley, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug 
Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 71, Rm. 7301, Silver 
Spring, MD 20993-0002, 240-402-7911.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    FDA is announcing the availability of a final guidance for industry 
entitled ``Population Pharmacokinetics.'' Population PK analyses can 
quantify the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic patient factors on the 
exposure of a drug. In conjunction with supporting exposure-response 
data, population PK data can be used to identify patient factors that 
result in a clinically significant change in drug exposure and inform 
the proper use of drugs. Since FDA announced the publication of the 
original population PK guidance in 1999, the number of applications 
relevant for population PK analysis has increased, and the 
sophistication and reliability of population PK analysis methods have 
improved.
    This guidance finalizes the draft guidance entitled ``Population 
Pharmacokinetics'' issued on July 12, 2019 (84 FR 33267). FDA 
considered comments received on the draft guidance as the guidance was 
finalized. Changes from the draft to the final guidance include greater 
detail on the use of population PK modeling for biologics, handling of 
time-varying covariates, additional methods and terminology typically 
used for population PK analyses, and updates to format and content for 
submitting population PK reports. In addition, editorial changes were 
made to improve clarity.
    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 ``Population Pharmacokinetics.'' 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

    This guidance contains no new collection of information. Therefore, 
clearance by the Office of Management

[[Page 6577]]

and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 
U.S.C. 3501-3521) is not required.
    However, this guidance refers to previously approved FDA 
collections of information. These collections of information are 
subject to review by OMB under the PRA. The collections of information 
in 21 CFR parts 312 and 314 have been approved under OMB control 
numbers 0910-0014 and 0910-0001. The collections of information in 21 
CFR parts 600 and 601 have been approved under OMB control number 0910-
0338. The collections of information in 21 CFR 201.56 and 201.57 have 
been approved under OMB control number 0910-0572.

III. Electronic Access

    Persons with access to the internet may obtain the guidance at 
either https://www.fda.gov/drugs/guidance-compliance-regulatory-information/guidances-drugs, https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/guidance-compliance-regulatory-information-biologics/biologics-guidances, or https://www.regulations.gov.

    Dated: January 31, 2022.
Lauren K. Roth,
Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2022-02355 Filed 2-3-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4164-01-P