[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 23, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3164-3165]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-01122]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2017-D-6702]


The Least Burdensome Provisions: Concept and Principles; Draft 
Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; 
Availability; Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or the Agency) is 
extending the comment period for the notice of availability that 
appeared in the Federal Register of December 15, 2017. In the notice of 
availability, FDA requested comments on the draft guidance for industry 
and FDA staff entitled ``The Least Burdensome Provisions: Concept and 
Principles.'' The Agency is taking this action in response to a request 
for an extension to allow interested persons additional time to submit 
comments.

DATES: FDA is extending the comment period on the document published 
December 15, 2017 (82 FR 59623), by an additional 30 days. Submit 
either electronic or written comments on the draft guidance by March 
15, 2018, to ensure that the Agency considers your comment on this 
draft guidance before it begins work on the final version of the 
guidance.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on any guidance 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-2017-D-6702 for ``The Least Burdensome Provisions: Concept and 
Principles; Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug 
Administration Staff; Availability.'' 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.
    <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

[[Page 3165]]

``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.gpo.gov/fdsys/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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joshua Silverstein, Center for Devices 
and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New 
Hampshire Ave. Bldg. 66, Rm. 1615, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, 301-
796-5155; 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: In the Federal Register of December 15, 
2017, FDA published a notice of availability with a 60-day comment 
period to request comments on draft guidance for industry and FDA staff 
entitled ``The Least Burdensome Provisions: Concept and Principles.''
    This draft guidance is being issued consistent with FDA's good 
guidance practices regulation (21 CFR 10.115). The draft guidance, when 
finalized, will represent the current thinking of FDA on the guiding 
principles and recommended approach for FDA staff and industry to 
facilitate consistent application of least burdensome principles to the 
activities pertaining to products meeting the statutory definition of a 
device regulated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. 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. This draft 
guidance is not subject to Executive Order 12866.
    The Agency has received a request for a 30-day extension of the 
comment period. The request conveyed concern that the current 60-day 
comment period does not allow sufficient time to develop a meaningful 
or thoughtful response.
    FDA has considered the request and is extending the comment period 
for the notice of availability for 30 days, until March 15, 2018. The 
Agency believes that a 30-day extension allows adequate time for 
interested persons to submit comments without significantly delaying 
guidance on these important issues.

    Dated: January 17, 2018.
Leslie Kux,
Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2018-01122 Filed 1-22-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4164-01-P