[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 15 (Thursday, January 23, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3924-3925]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01072]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2007-D-0369]


Product-Specific Guidance for Levonorgestrel; Intrauterine 
Device; Revised Draft Guidance for Industry; Availability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, Agency, or we) is 
announcing the availability of a revised draft guidance for industry, 
entitled ``Draft Guidance for Levonorgestrel.'' The revised draft 
guidance, when finalized, will provide product-specific recommendations 
on, among other things, the design of bioequivalence (BE) studies to 
support abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) for a levonorgestrel 
intrauterine device.

DATES: Submit either electronic or written comments on the draft 
guidance by March 23, 2020 to ensure that the Agency considers your 
comment on this draft guidance before it begins work on the final 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 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'').

[[Page 3925]]

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-2007-D-0369 for ``Product-Specific Guidance for Levonorgestrel; 
Intrauterine Device.'' Received comments will be placed in the docket 
and, except for those submitted as ``Confidential Submissions,'' will 
be publicly viewable at https://www.regulations.gov or at the Dockets 
Management Staff office between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through 
Friday.
     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.gpo.gov/fdsys/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.
    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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wendy Good, Center for Drug Evaluation 
and Research (HFD-600), Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New 
Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 75, Rm. 4730, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, 301-
796-5850.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    In the Federal Register of June 11, 2010 (75 FR 33311), FDA 
announced the availability of a guidance for industry entitled 
``Bioequivalence Recommendations for Specific Products,'' which 
explained the process that would be used to make product-specific 
guidances available to the public on FDA's website at https://www.fda.gov/drugs/guidance-compliance-regulatory-information/guidances-drugs.
    As described in that guidance, FDA adopted this process to develop 
and disseminate product-specific guidances and to provide a meaningful 
opportunity for the public to consider and comment on the guidances. 
This notice announces the availability of a revised draft guidance on a 
generic levonorgestrel intrauterine device.
    FDA initially approved new drug application 21225 for MIRENA 
(levonorgestrel intrauterine device) in December 2000. In April 2014, 
FDA issued a draft product-specific guidance for industry on a generic 
levonorgestrel intrauterine device. FDA subsequently withdrew that 
draft guidance in October 2014 because the recommended in vitro studies 
lacked adequate specificity. We are now issuing a revised draft 
guidance for industry on a generic levonorgestrel intrauterine device 
(``Draft Guidance on Levonorgestrel'') with recommendations for a 
combination of two studies, in vitro testing and an in vivo/ex vivo 
study, to demonstrate BE.
    In December 2015, Bayer HealthCare LLC, manufacturer of the 
reference listed drug MIRENA, submitted a citizen petition requesting 
that FDA withhold approval of any ANDA for a generic version of MIRENA 
unless certain conditions were satisfied, including conditions related 
to demonstrating BE ((Docket No. FDA-2015-P-4600), available at https://www.regulations.gov). FDA is reviewing the issues raised in that 
petition. However, FDA will consider any comments received on the 
guidance entitled, ``Draft Guidance on Levonorgestrel,'' before 
responding to the citizen petition.
    The 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 
the design of BE studies to support ANDAs for a levonorgestrel 
intrauterine device. 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. Electronic Access

    Persons with access to the internet may obtain the draft guidance 
at either https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidances/default.htm or 
https://www.regulations.gov.

    Dated: January 14, 2020.
Lowell J. Schiller,
Principal Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2020-01072 Filed 1-22-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4164-01-P


