08-588. Risk Communication Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting

AGENCY:

Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION:

Notice.

This notice announces a forthcoming meeting of a public advisory committee of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The meeting will be open to the public.

Name of Committee: Risk Communication Advisory Committee

General Function of the Committee: To provide advice and recommendations to the agency on effective risk communication.

Date and Time: The meeting will be held on February 28, 2008, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and February 29, 2008, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Location: Washington DC North/Gaithersburg Hilton, 620 Perry Pkwy., Gaithersburg, MD 20877, Salons A, B, C, and D.

Contact Person: Lee L. Zwanziger, Office of the Commissioner, Office of Planning (HFP-60), Food and Drug Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, rm.15-22, Rockville, MD, 20857, 301-827-2895, Fax: [phone], Food and Drug Administration, or FDA Advisory Committee Information Line, 1-800-741-8138 (301-443-0572 in the Washington, DC area), code 8732112560. Please call the Information Line for up-to-date information on this meeting. A notice in the Federal Register about last minute modifications that affect a previously announced advisory committee meeting cannot always be published quickly enough to provide timely notice. Therefore, you should always check the agency's Web site and call the appropriate advisory committee hot line/phone line to learn about possible modifications before coming to the meeting.

Agenda: On February 28, 2008, the committee will meet for the first time, for presentations and discussion of the relation of FDA's risk communication programs and FDA's responsibilities. On February 29, 2008, the meeting will continue with presentations and discussion of FDA's proposed template for press releases announcing product recalls with a view to incorporating best practices of risk communication.

FDA intends to make background material available to the public no later than 2 business days before the meeting. If FDA is unable to post the background material on its Web site prior to the meeting, the background material will be made publicly available at the location of the advisory committee meeting, and the background material will be posted on FDA's Web site after the meeting. Background material is available at http://www.fda.gov/​ohrms/​dockets/​ac/​acmenu.htm, click on the year 2008 and scroll down to the appropriate advisory committee link.

Procedure: Interested persons may present data, information, or views, orally or in writing, on issues pending before the committee. Written submissions may be made to the contact person on or before February 20, 2008. Oral presentations from the public will be scheduled between approximately 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. on February 28th and 11:15 to 12:15 on February 29th. Those desiring to make formal oral presentations should notify the contact person and submit a brief statement of the general nature of the evidence or arguments they wish to present, the names and addresses of proposed participants, and an indication of the approximate time requested to make their presentation on or before February 11, 2008. Time allotted for each presentation may be limited. If the number of registrants requesting to speak is greater than can be reasonably accommodated during the scheduled open public hearing session, FDA may conduct a lottery to determine the speakers for the scheduled open public hearing session. The contact person will notify interested persons regarding their request to speak by February 12, 2008.

Persons attending FDA's advisory committee meetings are advised that the agency is not responsible for providing access to electrical outlets.

FDA welcomes the attendance of the public at its advisory committee meetings and will make every effort to accommodate persons with physical disabilities or special needs. If you require special accommodations due to a disability, please contact Lee L. Zwanziger at least 7 days in advance of the meeting.

FDA is committed to the orderly conduct of its advisory committee meetings. Please visit our Web site at http://www.fda.gov/​oc/​advisory/​default.htm for procedures on public conduct during advisory committee meetings.

Notice of this meeting is given under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. app. 2).

Dated: February 3, 2008.

Randall W. Lutter,

Deputy Commissioner for Policy.