Considerations in Demonstrating Interchangeability With a Reference Product: Update; Draft Guidance for Industry; Availability

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, Agency, or we) is announcing the availability of a draft guidance for industry entitled “Considerations in Demonstrating Interchangeability With a Reference Product: Update.” This draft guidance describes considerations regarding a switching study or studies intended to support a demonstration that a proposed therapeutic protein product is interchangeable with a reference product for the purposes of submitting a marketing application or supplement under the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act). After considering any comments received in the docket for this draft guidance, we intend to revise the final guidance for industry entitled “Considerations in Demonstrating Interchangeability With a Reference Product” issued on May 14, 2019, to amend sections in that document regarding the subject addressed in this draft guidance.

DATES:

Submit either electronic or written comments on the draft guidance by August 20, 2024 to ensure that the Agency considers your comment on this draft guidance before it begins work on the final version of the guidance.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-2017-D-0154 for “Considerations in Demonstrating Interchangeability With a Reference Product: Update.” 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.

• 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; or the Office of Communication, Outreach, and Development, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, 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 that office in processing your requests. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for electronic access to the draft guidance document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mustafa Unlu, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 22, Rm. 1139, Silver Spring, MD 20993, 301-796-3396; or James Myers, 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 guidance for industry entitled “Considerations in Demonstrating Interchangeability With a Reference Product: Update.” This draft guidance describes considerations regarding a switching study or studies intended to support a demonstration that a proposed therapeutic protein product is interchangeable with a reference product for the purposes of submitting a marketing application or supplement under section 351(k) of the PHS Act (42 U.S.C. 262(k)). After considering any comments received in the docket for this draft guidance, we intend to revise the final guidance for industry entitled “Considerations in Demonstrating Interchangeability With a Reference Product” (Interchangeability Guidance) issued on May 14, 2019 (84 FR 21342) to amend sections in that document regarding the subject addressed in this draft guidance.

FDA issued the Interchangeability Guidance before receiving and reviewing any biologics license applications submitted under section 351(k) of the PHS Act for a proposed interchangeable biosimilar product. Since publication of the Interchangeability Guidance, experience has shown that for the products approved as biosimilars to date, the risk in terms of safety or diminished efficacy is insignificant following single or multiple switches between a reference product and a biosimilar product. Accordingly, FDA's scientific approach to when a switching study or studies may be needed to support a demonstration of interchangeability has evolved.

This draft guidance is not intended to be finalized as a standalone guidance. Instead, the recommendations in this draft guidance, when finalized, are intended to revise the Interchangeability Guidance and to replace sections in that document, such as sections VI.A and VII, to reflect FDA's current thinking regarding the subject addressed in this guidance. FDA is issuing this draft guidance to seek public comment through the accompanying docket.

This draft guidance is being issued consistent with FDA's good guidance practices regulation (21 CFR 10.115). 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 for the submission of a biologics license application or supplemental application under section 351(k) of the PHS Act have been approved under OMB control number 0910-0718. The collections of information in 21 CFR part 312 for the submissions of investigational new drug applications have been approved under OMB control number 0910-0014. The collections of information in 21 CFR part 314 for the submissions of new drug applications have been approved under OMB control number 0910-0001. The collections of information in 21 CFR part 601 for the submissions of biologics license application and supplemental applications have been approved under OMB control number 0910-0338.

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/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.