Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Drug User Fee Program

AGENCY:

Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, the Agency, or we) is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the Agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), Federal Agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information and to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits comments on information collection associated with FDA's Generic Drug User Fee Program.

DATES:

Submit either electronic or written comments on the collection of information by January 18, 2022.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments as follows. Please note that late, untimely filed comments will not be considered. Electronic comments must be submitted on or before January 18, 2022. The https://www.regulations.gov electronic filing system will accept comments until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time at the end of January 18, 2022. Comments received by mail/hand delivery/courier (for written/paper submissions) will be considered timely if they are postmarked or the delivery service acceptance receipt is on or before that date.

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-2018-N-3404 for “Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Drug User Fee Program.” Received comments, those filed in a timely manner (see ADDRESSES ), 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.

• 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Domini Bean, Office of Operations, Food and Drug Administration, Three White Flint North, 10A-12M, 11601 Landsdown St., North Bethesda, MD 20852, 301-796-5733, PRAStaff@fda.hhs.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521), Federal Agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. “Collection of information” is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c) and includes Agency requests or requirements that members of the public submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a third party. Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)) requires Federal Agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To comply with this requirement, FDA is publishing notice of the proposed collection of information set forth in this document.

With respect to the following collection of information, FDA invites comments on these topics: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of FDA's functions, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of FDA's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques, when appropriate, and other forms of information technology.

Generic Drug User Fee Program

OMB Control Number 0910-0727—Revision

This information collection supports implementation of FDA's Generic Drug User Fee program. The Generic Drug User Fee Amendments (GDUFA) (Pub. L. 112-144, Title 111) were enacted to speed the delivery of safe and effective generic drugs to the public and reduce costs to industry. GDUFA authorizes FDA to assess user fees to fund critical and measurable enhancements to the performance of FDA's generic drugs program, bringing greater predictability and timeliness to the review of generic drug applications. GDUFA is currently authorized through September 30, 2022, with reauthorization activities currently underway. For more information regarding GDUFA and ongoing implementation, we invite you to visit our website at https://www.fda.gov/industry/fda-user-fee-programs/generic-drug-user-fee-amendments.

GDUFA is based on an agreement negotiated by FDA and representatives of the generic drug industry intended to address continuing regulatory challenges. GDUFA reflects input received during an open process that includes regular public meetings, posting of meeting minutes, and consideration of comments from a public docket. We are revising the information collection to include the current GDUFA agreement, or “goals letter,” as reflected in the document “GDUFA Reauthorization Performance Goals and Program Enhancements Fiscal Years 2018-2022,” available for download from our website at https://www.fda.gov/media/101052/download. The performance goals and program enhancements specified in the goals letter apply to aspects of the generic drug review program that are important for facilitating timely access to quality, affordable generic medicines. FDA is committed to meeting the performance goals specified in the goals letter and to continuous improvement of its performance.

Included among the performance goals is the issuance of topic-specific guidance documents. We maintain a searchable guidance database on our website at https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-document. In publishing the respective notices of availability for each guidance document, we include an analysis under the PRA and invite public comment on the associated information collection recommendations. In addition, all Agency guidance documents are issued in accordance with our Good Guidance Practice regulations in 21 CFR 10.115, which provide for public comment at any time.

We have developed Form FDA 3794, the Generic Drug User Fee Cover Sheet, available at https://www.ipqpubs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/GDUFA-cover-sheet.pdf,, which requests the minimum necessary information from generic drug applicants to account for and track user fees and to determine the amount of the fee required. Applicants complete and submit the cover sheets to accompany payments. While applicants may submit payment through multiple means, all cover sheets are prepared using FDA's web-based electronic User Fee System. Upon submitting the completed cover sheet, the User Fee System generates a user fee identification number, which is provided to applicants at the bottom of the cover sheet. It also notes the correct fiscal year user fee assessment that is due for the submission or program. FDA requests that applicants submit a copy of this completed cover sheet along with the abbreviated new drug application, as well as other additional GDUFA fees, so FDA can verify that the applicant has paid the correct user fee and their account is current.

Respondents to the information collection are potential or actual generic drug application holders or related active pharmaceutical ingredient and finished dosage form manufacturers. Companies with multiple user fee obligations may submit a cover sheet for each user fee obligation.

We estimate the burden of the information collection as follows:

Based on a review of the information collection, we have retained the currently approved burden estimate.