[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 160 (Monday, August 23, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47117-47118]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-18073]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2013-D-1464]


Bioequivalence Studies With Pharmacokinetic Endpoints for Drugs 
Submitted Under an Abbreviated New Drug Application; Draft Guidance for 
Industry; Availability

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing 
the availability of a revised draft guidance for industry entitled 
``Bioequivalence Studies With Pharmacokinetic Endpoints for Drugs 
Submitted Under an ANDA.'' This revised draft supersedes the draft 
guidance entitled ``Bioequivalence Studies With Pharmacokinetic 
Endpoints for Drug Products Submitted Under an ANDA,'' which was 
announced in the Federal Register on December 5, 2013. This revised 
draft guidance provides recommendations to applicants planning to 
include bioequivalence (BE) information in abbreviated new drug 
applications (ANDAs) and ANDA supplements. In addition, this guidance 
describes how to meet the BE requirements set forth in the Federal 
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) and FDA regulations.

DATES: Submit either electronic or written comments on the draft 
guidance by October 22, 2021 to ensure that the Agency considers your 
comment on this draft guidance before it begins work on the final 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-

[[Page 47118]]

2013-D-1464 for ``Bioequivalence Studies With Pharmacokinetic Endpoints 
for Drugs Submitted Under an ANDA.'' 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 the draft 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 draft guidance document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Coppersmith, Center for Drug 
Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New 
Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 75, Rm. 1673, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, 301-
796-9193.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    FDA is announcing the availability of a revised draft guidance for 
industry entitled ``Bioequivalence Studies With Pharmacokinetic 
Endpoints for Drugs Submitted Under an ANDA.'' The revised draft 
guidance supersedes the draft guidance ``Bioequivalence Studies With 
Pharmacokinetic Endpoints for Drugs Submitted Under an ANDA,'' which 
was announced in the Federal Register on December 5, 2013 (78 FR 
73199). FDA received nine comments on the draft guidance, which were 
considered before publication of this revised draft guidance.
    This revised draft guidance provides recommendations to applicants 
planning to include BE information in ANDAs and ANDA supplements. In 
addition, this guidance describes how to meet the BE requirements set 
forth in the FD&C Act and FDA regulations. This guidance is generally 
applicable to dosage forms intended for oral administration and to non-
orally administered drug products in which reliance on systemic 
exposure measures is suitable for documenting BE (e.g., transdermal 
delivery systems and certain rectal and nasal drug products). This 
guidance will also be useful to applicants planning BE studies intended 
to be conducted during the post-approval period for changes to a drug 
product approved in an ANDA. FDA recommends that applicants consult 
this revised draft guidance, in conjunction with any relevant product-
specific guidances for industry, when considering the appropriate BE 
study and/or other studies for a proposed drug product.
    This revised draft guidance is being issued consistent with FDA's 
good guidance practices regulation (21 CFR 10.115). The revised draft 
guidance, when finalized, will represent the current thinking of FDA on 
``Bioequivalence Studies With Pharmacokinetic Endpoints for Drugs 
Submitted Under an ANDA.'' 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

    FDA tentatively concludes that this draft guidance contains no 
collection of information. Therefore, clearance by the Office of 
Management and Budget under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 is not 
required.

III. Electronic Access

    Persons with access to the internet may obtain the draft 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: August 18, 2021.
Lauren K. Roth,
Acting Principal Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2021-18073 Filed 8-20-21; 8:45 am]
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