E8-4469. Determination That RELAFEN (Nabumetone) Tablets and Three Other Drug Products Were Not Withdrawn From Sale for Reasons of Safety or Effectiveness

AGENCY:

Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined that the four drug products listed in this document were not withdrawn from sale for reasons of safety or effectiveness. This determination means that FDA will not begin procedures to withdraw approval of abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) that refer to the drug products, and it will allow FDA to continue to approve ANDAs that refer to the products as long as they meet relevant legal and regulatory requirements.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Olivia A. Pritzlaff, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 51, rm. 6308, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, 301-796-3601.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

In 1984, Congress enacted the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-417) (the 1984 amendments), which authorized the approval of duplicate versions of drug products approved under an ANDA procedure. ANDA sponsors must, with certain exceptions, show that the drug for which they are seeking approval contains the same active ingredient in the same strength and dosage form as the “listed drug,” which is a version of the drug that was previously approved. Sponsors of ANDAs do not have to repeat the extensive clinical testing otherwise necessary to gain approval of a new drug application (NDA). The only clinical data required in an ANDA are data to show that the drug that is the subject of the ANDA is bioequivalent to the listed drug.

The 1984 amendments include what is now section 505(j)(7) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the act) (21 U.S.C. 355(j)(7)), which requires FDA to publish a list of all approved drugs. FDA publishes this list as part of the “Approved Drug Products With Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations,” which is generally known as the “Orange Book.” Under FDA regulations, drugs are withdrawn from the list if the agency withdraws or suspends approval of the drug's NDA or ANDA for reasons of safety or effectiveness, or if FDA determines that the listed drug was withdrawn from sale for reasons of safety or effectiveness (21 CFR 314.162).

Under § 314.161(a) (21 CFR 314.161(a)), the agency must determine whether a listed drug was withdrawn from sale for reasons of safety or effectiveness: (1) Before an ANDA that refers to that listed drug may be approved or (2) whenever a listed drug is voluntarily withdrawn from sale, and ANDAs that refer to the listed drug have been approved. Section 314.161(d) provides that if FDA determines that a listed drug was removed from sale for safety or effectiveness reasons, the agency will initiate proceedings that could result in the withdrawal of approval of the ANDAs that refer to the listed drug.

FDA has become aware that the drug products listed in the table in this document are no longer being marketed.

NDA No.	Drug	Applicant
19-583	RELAFEN (nabumetone) Tablets, 500 milligrams (mg) and 750 mg	GlaxoSmithKline (formerly SmithKlineBeecham), 2301 Renaissance Blvd., P.O. Box 161540, King of Prussia, PA 19406-2772
19-643	MEVACOR (lovastatin) Tablets, 10 mg	Merck & Co., One Merck Dr., P.O. Box 100, Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889-0100
50-416	CORTISPORIN Ophthalmic Ointment (bacitracin zinc; hydrocortisone; neomycin sulfate; polymyxin B sulfate) 400 units/gram (g); 1 percent; equivalent to 3.5 mg base/g; 10,000 units/g	Monarch Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 501 Fifth Street, Bristol, TN 37620
50-461	ANCEF (cefazolin sodium) Injection, 250 mg base/vial, 500 mg base/vial, 5 g base/vial	GlaxoSmithKline

FDA has reviewed its records and, under § 314.161, has determined that the drug products listed in this document were not withdrawn from sale for reasons of safety or effectiveness. Accordingly, the agency will continue to list the drug products listed in this document in the “Discontinued Drug Product List” section of the Orange Book. The “Discontinued Drug Product List” identifies, among other items, drug products that have been discontinued from marketing for reasons other than safety or effectiveness.

Approved ANDAs that refer to the NDAs listed in this document are unaffected by the discontinued marketing of the products subject to those NDAs. Additional ANDAs for the products may also be approved by the agency if they comply with relevant legal and regulatory requirements. If FDA determines that labeling for these drug products should be revised to meet current standards, the agency will advise ANDA applicants to submit such labeling.

Dated: February 29, 2008.

Jeffrey Shuren,

Assistant Commissioner for Policy.