
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 178 (Friday, September 15, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43383-43384]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-19614]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2017-D-4792]


Regulatory Considerations for Microneedling Devices; Draft 
Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; 
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the availability of the draft guidance entitled ``Regulatory 
Considerations for Microneedling Devices--Draft Guidance for Industry 
and Food and Drug Administration Staff.'' This draft guidance is being 
issued to assist industry in understanding when a microneedling product 
is a device as defined in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the 
FD&C Act). This draft guidance is not final nor is it in effect at this 
time.

DATES: Submit either electronic or written comments on the draft 
guidance by November 14, 2017 to ensure that the Agency considers your 
comment on this draft guidance before it begins work on the final 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-4792 for ``Regulatory Considerations for Microneedling 
Devices--Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration 
Staff.'' 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.
     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)). An electronic copy of the guidance document is available 
for download from the internet. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section for information on electronic access to the guidance. Submit 
written requests for a single hard copy of the draft guidance document 
entitled ``Regulatory Considerations for Microneedling Devices--Draft 
Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff'' to the 
Office of the Center Director, Guidance and Policy Development, Center 
for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, 
10903 New Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 66, Rm. 5431, Silver Spring, MD 20993-
0002. Send one self-addressed adhesive label to assist that office in 
processing your request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Yang, Center for Devices and 
Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire 
Ave., Bldg. 66, Rm. 1551, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, 301-796-6477.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    ``Microneedling products'' is a generic term that encompasses 
instruments with common technological features that include an array of 
needles, ``micro-protrusion'' tips, or pins, which can be

[[Page 43384]]

blunt or sharp, and of varying lengths. This document discusses when 
microneedling products are devices as defined under section 201(h) of 
the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 321(h)). This draft guidance also provides 
clarity on the regulatory pathway to market for microneedling devices, 
resulting in more transparency and predictability to firms and 
stakeholders, which may translate into more efficient device 
development and patient access to such devices. The scope of this 
guidance document does not include microneedling combination products, 
acupuncture needles, hypodermic needles or other needles for injection, 
tattoo machine needles, and needle probes that emit any type of energy 
(e.g., radiofrequency needles) or deliver any type of energy to a 
patient (e.g., LASER, ultrasound).

II. Significance of Guidance

    This draft guidance is being issued consistent with FDA's good 
guidance practices regulation (21 CFR 10.115). The draft guidance, when 
finalized, will represent the current thinking of FDA on this topic. 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. This guidance 
is not subject to Executive Order 12866.

III. Electronic Access

    Persons interested in obtaining a copy of the draft guidance may do 
so by downloading an electronic copy from the internet. A search 
capability for all Center for Devices and Radiological Health guidance 
documents is available at http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/DeviceRegulationandGuidance/GuidanceDocuments/default.htm. This 
guidance document is also available at https://www.regulations.gov. 
Persons unable to download an electronic copy of ``Regulatory 
Considerations for Microneedling Devices--Draft Guidance for Industry 
and Food and Drug Administration Staff'' may send an email request to 
CDRH-Guidance@fda.hhs.gov to receive an electronic copy of the 
document. Please use the document number 1500036 to identify the 
guidance you are requesting.

IV. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

    This draft guidance refers to previously approved collections of 
information found in FDA regulations. These collections of information 
are subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520). The 
collections of information in 21 CFR part 807, subpart E, regarding 
premarket notification submissions, have been approved under OMB 
control number 0910-0120, and the collections of information in 21 CFR 
part 801, regarding device labeling, have been approved under OMB 
control number 0910-0485.

    Dated: September 7, 2017.
Anna K. Abram,
Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Planning, Legislation, and Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2017-19614 Filed 9-14-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4164-01-P


