[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 58 (Wednesday, March 26, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14433-14434]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-7550]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting
AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces a forthcoming meeting of a public
advisory committee of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This
notice also summarizes the procedures for the meeting and methods by
which interested persons may participate in open public hearings before
FDA's advisory committees.
FDA has established an Advisory Committee Information Hotline (the
hotline) using a voice-mail telephone system. The hotline provides the
public with access to the most current information on FDA advisory
committee meetings. The advisory committee hotline, which will
disseminate current information and information updates, can be
accessed by dialing 1-800-741-8138 or 301-443-0572. Each advisory
committee is assigned a 5-digit number. This 5-digit number will appear
in each individual notice of meeting. The hotline will enable the
public to obtain information about a particular advisory committee by
using the committee's 5-digit number. Information in the hotline is
preliminary and may change before a meeting is actually held. The
hotline will be updated when such changes are made.
MEETING: The following advisory committee meeting is announced:
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Advisory Committee
Date, time, and place. April 23, 1997, 9 a.m., and April 24, 1997,
8 a.m., Holiday Inn--Bethesda, Versailles Ballrooms III and IV, 8120
Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, MD.
Type of meeting and contact person. Open public hearing, April 23,
1997, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., unless public participation does not last that
long; open committee discussion, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed committee
deliberations, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.; open committee discussion, April 24,
1997, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; William Freas or Jane S. Brown, Center for
Biologics Evaluation and Research (HFM-21), Food and Drug
Administration, 1401 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852, 301-594-6700,
or FDA Advisory Committee Information Hotline, 1-800-741-8138 (301-443-
0572 in the Washington, DC area), Transmissible Spongiform
Encephalopathies Advisory Committee, code 12388. Please call the
hotline for information concerning any possible changes.
General function of the committee. The committee reviews and
evaluates available scientific data concerning the safety of products
which may be at risk for transmission of spongiform encephalopathies
having an impact on the public health.
Agenda--Open public hearing. Interested persons may present data,
information, or views, orally or in writing, on issues pending before
the committee. Those desiring to make formal presentations should
notify the contact person before April 18, 1997, 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 required to make their comments.
Open committee discussion. The committee will discuss and provide
recommendations on the safety of both domestic and imported gelatin and
gelatin byproducts with regard to the risk imposed by bovine spongiform
encephalopathy.
Closed committee deliberations. On April 23, 1997, the committee
will review trade secret and/or confidential commercial information
relevant to current and pending products. This portion of the meeting
will be closed to permit discussion of this information (5 U.S.C
552b(c)(4)).
Each public advisory committee meeting listed above may have as
many as four separable portions: (1) An open public hearing, (2) an
open committee discussion, (3) a closed presentation of data, and (4) a
closed committee deliberation. Every advisory committee meeting shall
have an open public hearing portion. Whether or not it also includes
any of the other three portions will depend upon the specific meeting
involved. The dates and times reserved
[[Page 14434]]
for the separate portions of each committee meeting are listed above.
The open public hearing portion of the meeting(s) shall be at least
1 hour long unless public participation does not last that long. It is
emphasized, however, that the 1 hour time limit for an open public
hearing represents a minimum rather than a maximum time for public
participation, and an open public hearing may last for whatever longer
period the committee chairperson determines will facilitate the
committee's work.
Public hearings are subject to FDA's guideline (subpart C of 21 CFR
part 10) concerning the policy and procedures for electronic media
coverage of FDA's public administrative proceedings, including hearings
before public advisory committees under 21 CFR part 14. Under 21 CFR
10.205, representatives of the electronic media may be permitted,
subject to certain limitations, to videotape, film, or otherwise record
FDA's public administrative proceedings, including presentations by
participants.
Meetings of advisory committees shall be conducted, insofar as is
practical, in accordance with the agenda published in this Federal
Register notice. Changes in the agenda will be announced at the
beginning of the open portion of a meeting.
Any interested person who wishes to be assured of the right to make
an oral presentation at the open public hearing portion of a meeting
shall inform the contact person listed above, either orally or in
writing, prior to the meeting. Any person attending the hearing who
does not in advance of the meeting request an opportunity to speak will
be allowed to make an oral presentation at the hearing's conclusion, if
time permits, at the chairperson's discretion.
The agenda, the questions to be addressed by the committee, and a
current list of committee members will be available at the meeting
location on the day of the meeting.
Transcripts of the open portion of the meeting may be requested in
writing from the Freedom of Information Office (HFI-35), Food and Drug
Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, rm. 12A-16, Rockville, MD 20857,
approximately 15 working days after the meeting, at a cost of 10 cents
per page. The transcript may be viewed at the Dockets Management Branch
(HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 12420 Parklawn Dr., rm. 1-23,
Rockville, MD 20857, approximately 15 working days after the meeting,
between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Summary
minutes of the open portion of the meeting may be requested in writing
from the Freedom of Information Office (address above) beginning
approximately 90 days after the meeting.
The Commissioner has determined for the reasons stated that those
portions of the advisory committee meetings so designated in this
notice shall be closed. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (5
U.S.C. app. 2, 10(d)), permits such closed advisory committee meetings
in certain circumstances. Those portions of a meeting designated as
closed, however, shall be closed for the shortest possible time,
consistent with the intent of the cited statutes.
The FACA, as amended, provides that a portion of a meeting may be
closed where the matter for discussion involves a trade secret;
commercial or financial information that is privileged or confidential;
information of a personal nature, disclosure of which would be a
clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy; investigatory files
compiled for law enforcement purposes; information the premature
disclosure of which would be likely to significantly frustrate
implementation of a proposed agency action; and information in certain
other instances not generally relevant to FDA matters.
Examples of portions of FDA advisory committee meetings that
ordinarily may be closed, where necessary and in accordance with FACA
criteria, include the review, discussion, and evaluation of drafts of
regulations or guidelines or similar preexisting internal agency
documents, but only if their premature disclosure is likely to
significantly frustrate implementation of proposed agency action;
review of trade secrets and confidential commercial or financial
information submitted to the agency; consideration of matters involving
investigatory files compiled for law enforcement purposes; and review
of matters, such as personnel records or individual patient records,
where disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy.
Examples of portions of FDA advisory committee meetings that
ordinarily shall not be closed include the review, discussion, and
evaluation of general preclinical and clinical test protocols and
procedures for a class of drugs or devices; consideration of labeling
requirements for a class of marketed drugs or devices; review of data
and information on specific investigational or marketed drugs and
devices that have previously been made public; presentation of any
other data or information that is not exempt from public disclosure
pursuant to the FACA, as amended; and, deliberation to formulate advice
and recommendations to the agency on matters that do not independently
justify closing.
This notice is issued under section 10(a)(1) and (a)(2) of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. app. 2), and FDA's regulations
(21 CFR part 14) on advisory committees.
Dated: March 18, 1997.
Michael A. Friedman,
Deputy Commissioner for Operations.
[FR Doc. 97-7550 Filed 3-25-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-01-F
