[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 5 (Wednesday, January 8, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 921-922]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-00070]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2019-D-3592]


Certificates of Confidentiality; Guidance for Sponsors, Sponsor-
Investigators, Researchers, Industry, and Food and Drug Administration 
Staff; Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is extending 
the comment period for the notice entitled ``Certificates of 
Confidentiality; Guidance for Sponsors, Sponsor-Investigators, 
Researchers, Industry, and Food and Drug Administration Staff; 
Availability'' that appeared in the Federal Register of November 25, 
2019. The Agency is taking this action to allow interested persons 
additional time to submit comments before finalization of the guidance.

DATES: FDA is extending the comment period on the notice published 
November 25, 2019 (84 FR 64906). Submit either electronic or written 
comments on the draft guidance by January 24, 2020, to ensure that the 
Agency considers your comment on this draft guidance before it begins 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 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-2019-D-3592 for ``Certificates of Confidentiality; Guidance for 
Sponsors, Sponsor-Investigators, Researchers, 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://

[[Page 922]]

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.
    You may submit comments on any guidance at any time (see 21 CFR 
10.115(g)(5)).
    Submit written requests for single copies of this guidance to the 
Office of Policy, Bldg. 32, Rm. 4248, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Silver 
Spring, MD 20993-0002. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for 
electronic access to the guidance document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jarilyn Dupont, Office of Policy, Food 
and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 32, Rm. 4248, 
Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, 301-796-4850.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    In the Federal Register of November 25, 2019 (84 FR 64906), FDA 
published a notice with a 45-day comment period to request comments on 
the draft guidance for industry and staff entitled ``Certificates of 
Confidentiality; Guidance for Sponsors, Sponsor-Investigators, 
Researchers, Industry, and Food and Drug Administration Staff.'' FDA is 
extending the comment period, in response to a request from a 
stakeholder, until January 24, 2020. The Agency believes the extension 
allows adequate time for interested persons to submit comments without 
significantly delaying publication of the final version of the 
guidance.

II. Electronic Access

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

    Dated: January 2, 2020.
Lowell J. Schiller,
Principal Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2020-00070 Filed 1-7-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4164-01-P


