Document Headings

                    Document headings vary by document type but may contain                    the following:                  
                -                       the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document                    
                -                       the number of the CFR title and the number of each part                      the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly                      related to                    
                -                       the agency docket number / agency internal file number                    
                -                       the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in                      the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory                      Actions                    

                    See the                                          Document Drafting Handbook                                        for more details.                  

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

###### Food and Drug Administration

          - [Docket No. FDA-2000-D-0187]

# AGENCY:

Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

# ACTION:

Notice of availability.

# SUMMARY:

                        The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, Agency, or we) is announcing the availability of a draft document entitled “Recommendations To Reduce the Risk of Transfusion-Transmitted Malaria.” The draft guidance document provides blood establishments that collect blood and blood components with FDA's revised recommendations to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted malaria (TTM). The guidance recommends selectively testing blood donations from donors at risk for malaria using an FDA-licensed donor screening nucleic acid test (NAT) for                         *Plasmodium species (spp.),*                         the causative agents of malaria. The draft guidance, when finalized, is intended to supersede the document entitled “Recommendations To Reduce the Risk of Transfusion-Transmitted Malaria,” dated December 2022.                    

# DATES:

Submit either electronic or written comments on the draft guidance by March 17, 2025 to ensure that the Agency considers your comment on this draft guidance before it begins work on the final version of the guidance.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:
      -  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-2000-D-0187 for “Recommendations To Reduce the Risk of Transfusion-Transmitted Malaria.” Received comments will be placed in the docket and, except for those submitted as “Confidential Submissions,” publicly viewable at                     *https://www.regulations.gov*      ( print page 4751)                        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 the draft guidance to the Office of Communication, Outreach and Development, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), 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 the office in processing your requests. The draft guidance may also be obtained by mail by calling CBER at 1-800-835-4709 or 240-402-8010. See the                     **SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION**                     section for electronic access to the draft guidance document.                

# FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Victoria Wagman, 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 draft document entitled “Recommendations To Reduce the Risk of Transfusion-Transmitted Malaria.” This guidance document provides blood establishments that collect blood and blood components with FDA's revised recommendations to reduce the risk of TTM. Specifically, the guidance recommends selectively testing blood donations from donors at risk for malaria using an FDA-licensed donor screening NAT for                     *Plasmodium species (spp.),*                     the causative agents of malaria.                

                    The recommendations contained in this draft guidance apply to the collection of Whole Blood and blood components, except Source Plasma. We do not require blood establishments to screen Source Plasma donors for malaria risk factors because Source Plasma undergoes further manufacturing steps to effectively remove or inactivate pathogens such as                     *Plasmodia spp.*                     (see 21 CFR 630.15(b)(8)). Licensed plasma derivatives manufactured from Source Plasma have not transmitted malaria.                

The draft guidance, when finalized, is intended to supersede the document entitled “Recommendations To Reduce the Risk of Transfusion-Transmitted Malaria,” dated December 2022.

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 “Recommendations To Reduce the Risk of Transfusion-Transmitted Malaria.” 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 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 part 601 and Form FDA 356h have been approved under OMB control number 0910-0338; and the collections of information in 21 CFR parts 606 and 630 have been approved under OMB control number 0910-0116.

## III. Electronic Access

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

Dated: January 10, 2025.

P. Ritu Nalubola,

Associate Commissioner for Policy.

[FR Doc. 2025-01028 Filed 1-15-25; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4164-01-P