Food & Drug Administration Developments

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On October 5, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) published a final rule to establish requirements for the medical device De Novo classification process under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

The final rule, which takes effect January 3, 2022, comes nearly three years after the FDA first proposed it and, notably, sets forth the procedures and criteria for a manufacturer’s voluntary submission and withdrawal of a De Novo request.  Additionally, the rule clarifies how agency staff intends to accept and review the requests, as well as how FDA staff will determine whether to grant or decline the requests.  Finally, the rule also provides a way for combination products to use the De Novo pathway.

Useful for novel, low risk medical devices

The implementation of the De Novo classification process is especially significant for manufacturers of novel, low-risk medical devices.  Prior to the De Novo program, which was created in 1997, any device that lacked a predicate automatically became designated as a Class III device and, therefore, required premarket approval to legally reach the market.  Because this premarket pathway is designed to regulate the riskiest category of devices, manufacturers typically had to endure longer than anticipated wait times for approval of their low-risk devices.Continue Reading FDA codifies requirements for the medical device De Novo classification process

On August 2, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”)  published a final rule amending existing regulations (21 C.F.R. § 201.128 and 21 CFR § 801.4) that describe the types of evidence relevant to determine a drug or device’s intended use under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”).  See 86 Fed. Reg. 41,384–85.

This final rule, which takes effect as of September 1, 2021, withdraws and replaces a final rule that FDA promulgated on January 9, 2017, but which never became effective due to an outcry concerning a problematic knowledge provision that was contrary to the statutory scheme of the FDCA and to physicians’ autonomy to use FDA-approved products in an off-label manner.

Prior to the 2021 final rule, FDA issued a proposed rule on September 23, 2020 that eliminated the 2017 rule’s knowledge provision and was much more aligned with FDCA intent and current FDA policy and practice.  FDA maintains, and we agree, that August 2021 final rule remains largely unchanged from the 2020 proposed language.

The following is a review of some important changes that FDA regulated entities should take note of as they develop and market FDA regulated products:Continue Reading FDA clarifies evidence and knowledge requirements in intended use final rule

The October 3, 2019 Executive Order 13890 (“EO 13890”), entitled “Executive Order on Protecting and Improving Medicare for our Nation’s Seniors,” directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to “propose regulatory and sub-regulatory changes to the Medicare program to encourage innovation for patients.”  EO 13890 explicitly requests that the Secretary make coverage…

As discussed on our Life Sciences Legal Update blog, the FDA has released draft guidance clarifying its acceptance of medical device clinical data from studies conducted outside of the United States. The draft guidance highlights special considerations that apply when using foreign clinical data, including applicability to populations within the US, and provides recommendations…

As discussed on our sister blog, Life Sciences Legal Update, the FDA has published a notice soliciting comments on a draft guidance document on the use of electronic media and processes to obtain informed consent for FDA-regulated clinical investigations of medical products.  The HHS Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) also is considering…

The FDA published a proposed rule on December 18, 2014 that would require electronic distribution of the prescribing information intended for health care professionals, which is currently distributed in paper form on or within the prescription drug or biological product packaging. FDA also is proposing that prescribing information intended for health care professionals will no…

Last February, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked for public feedback on a proposed research study related to prescription drug television advertisements. In a notice published in the Federal Register on January 13, 2015, FDA announced its intention to continue to move forward with the proposed study. Specifically, the notice announced that…

This post was written by Kevin M. Madagan.

Time to pop the bubbly a little early! FDA announced today that the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) deadline of January 1, 2015 for product tracing (i.e., the new federal pedigree standards) will not be enforced until May 1, 2015. This means manufacturers, wholesale distributors, and repackagers…

The FDA has scheduled a public workshop on the “Framework for Regulatory Oversight of Laboratory Developed Tests” on January 8 – 9, 2015. The purpose of the workshop is to discuss FDA’s proposal for a risk-based framework for addressing the regulatory oversight of “laboratory developed tests,” a subset of vitro diagnostic devices intended…

Earlier this summer, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a draft 42-page “Informed Consent Information Sheet” that provides guidance for institutional review boards (IRBs), clinical investigators, and clinical trial sponsors on complying with the Agency’s informed consent regulations. Once finalized, the draft guidance will supersede FDA’s previous Information Sheet on this topic, “A Guide to Informed Consent,” which was last updated over 15 years ago, in 1998.  The guidance, which is a compilation of FDA’s regulations and past guidances on informed consent, also reflects the Agency’s coordinated efforts with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to facilitate consistency across informed consent requirements and policies among federal government agencies.

Broadly, the new guidance indicates FDA policy shifting towards enhanced informed consent processes. More narrowly, the draft guidance explains the various and often caveated elements of informed consent (including providing patients with a description of the trial, its risks, benefits, alternative treatments, confidentiality and compensation in the event of injury), depicts the detailed responsibilities of IRBs, clinical investigators and sponsors of clinical trials (including compliance with the process, elements and documentation of informed consent), and provides examples of recommended language to assist industry parties in complying with FDA’s informed consent regulations. FDA accomplishes this task by clarifying some aspects of existing guidance and creating additional guidance in new areas.

The following provides an overview of some of the draft guidance’s notable new and revised provisions.Continue Reading FDA Seeks Comments to Updated Guidance on Informed Consent in Clinical Trials

In a notice published in the Federal Register on May 7, 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) announced its intent to incentivize manufacturers to voluntarily update their prescription drug and biologics labels by using a government contractor.

FDA’s announcement stems from a January 2006 final rule in which FDA established revised content and…

This post was written by Jillian W. Riley.

Earlier this week, FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) published two separate draft guidance documents to advance the dual goals of FDA and industry to provide pathways for medical devices to reach the market quickly while ensuring the safety and efficacy of the product.

The…

On March 25, 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a proposal to amend its regulations governing the classification and reclassification of medical devices. In addition to conforming the regulations to recent changes made by the 2012 Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA), the proposed rule makes changes unrelated to…

As mentioned on our Life Sciences Legal Update blog, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today it has proposed significant updates to the Nutrition Facts label for foods intended to expand and highlight the information consumers need to make well-informed food choices.  FDA also is proposing changes to how serving sizes themselves are calculated.

This post was also written by Jillian W. Riley.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just announced that it will hold a public hearing March 25 and 26, 2014 to obtain input on the Agency’s current process for reviewing over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. This is a significant advancement in FDA’s long-standing plan to overhaul the OTC drug system. According to the announcement, the Agency’s OTC drug review “needs a critical examination at this juncture to examine whether and how to modernize its processes and regulatory framework.”

Teeing up the importance of the public hearing, Dr. Janet Woodcock, the Director of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), informed the Wall Street Journal that the Agency was “looking for creative ideas about how to improve the process.”1 According to Dr. Woodcock, “The current system isn’t working well for the public or for us.”  Additional details are available after the jump.Continue Reading FDA to Overhaul an OTC System That “Isn’t Working”

In a notice published in the Federal Register on February 18, 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked for feedback on a proposed research study related to prescription drug television advertisements. The study, Disclosure Regarding Additional Risks in Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Prescription Drug Television (TV) Advertisements (Ads), would investigate the impact of limiting the…

As reported on our Life Sciences Legal Update blog, the FDA has issued draft guidance addressing the unique challenges of drug promotion in the age of social media. Specifically, the draft guidance addresses how to submit interactive promotional media for postmarket review.  Comments on the document, “Draft Guidance for Industry on Fulfilling Regulatory…

In October 2011, CMS and the FDA formally launched a voluntary parallel review pilot program for sponsors of medical devices. At the time, the agencies stated that they intended to run the pilot program for two years, with the possibility of an extension. In a December 18, 2013 notice, the FDA and CMS announced that…

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the availability of a final guidance document which describes the qualification process for drug development tools (DDTs) intended for use, over time, in multiple drug development programs. DDTs are methods, materials, or measures that aid drug development. Examples of DDTs include biomarkers and patient reported outcome instruments.…

On July 15, 2013, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published in the Federal Register a proposed rule that would amend 21 CFR Part 1 to implement FDA’s detention authority with respect to drugs intended for human or animal use. FDA’s detention authority is authorized by amendments made to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act…