01-10623. Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) Regulations for Nonclinical Laboratory Studies

AGENCY:

Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (the PRA), Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information, and to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits comments on the GLP for Nonclinical Laboratory Studies regulations.

DATES:

Submit written or electronic comments on the collection of information by June 29, 2001.

ADDRESSES:

Submit electronic comments on the collection of information via the Internet at http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/​scripts/​oc/​dockets/​comments/​commentdocket.cfm. Submit written comments on the collection of information to the Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. All comments should be identified with the docket number found in brackets in the heading of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

JonnaLynn P. Capezzuto, Office of Information Resources Management (HFA-250), Food and Drug Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, 301-827-4659.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. “Collection of information” is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c) and includes agency requests or requirements that members of the public submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a third party. Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)) requires Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information, before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To comply with this requirement, FDA is publishing notice of the proposed collection of information set forth in this document.

With respect to the following collection of information, FDA invites comments on: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of FDA’s functions, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of FDA’s estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques, when appropriate, and other forms of information technology.

Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) Regulations for Nonclinical Laboratory Studies—(21 CFR Part 58)—(OMB Control Number 0910-0119)—Extension

Sections 409, 505, 512, and 515 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 348, 355, 360b, and 360e) and related statutes require manufacturers of food additives, human drugs and biological products, animal drugs, and medical devices to demonstrate the safety and utility of their product by submitting applications to FDA for research or marketing permits. Such applications contain, among other important items, full reports of all studies done to demonstrate product safety in man and/or other animals. In order to ensure adequate quality control for these studies and to provide an adequate degree of consumer protection, the agency issued the GLP regulations. The regulations specify minimum standards for the proper conduct of safety testing and contain sections on facilities, personnel, equipment, standard operating procedures (SOPs), test and control articles, quality assurance, protocol and conduct of a safety study, records and reports, and laboratory disqualification.

The GLP regulations contain requirements for the reporting of the results of quality assurance unit inspections, test and control article characterization, testing of mixtures of test and control articles with carriers, and an overall interpretation of nonclinical laboratory studies. The GLP regulations also contain recordkeeping requirements relating to the conduct of safety studies. Such records include: (1) Personnel job descriptions and summaries of training and experience; (2) master schedules, protocols and amendments thereto, inspection reports, and SOPs; (3) equipment inspection, maintenance, calibration, and testing records; (4) documentation of feed and water analyses and animal treatments; (5) test article accountability records; and (6) study documentation and raw data.

The information collected under GLP regulations is generally gathered by testing facilities routinely engaged in conducting toxicological studies and is used as part of an application for a research or marketing permit that is voluntarily submitted to FDA by persons desiring to market new products. The facilities that collect this information are typically operated by large entities, e.g., contract laboratories, sponsors of FDA-regulated products, universities, or government agencies. Failure to include the information in a filing to FDA would mean that agency scientific experts could not make a valid determination of product safety. FDA receives, reviews and approves hundreds of new product applications each year based on information received. The recordkeeping requirements are necessary to document the proper conduct of a safety study, to assure the quality and integrity of the resulting final report, and to provide adequate proof of the safety of regulated products. FDA conducts onsite audits of records and reports, during its inspections of testing laboratories, to verify reliability of results submitted in applications.

FDA estimates the burden of this collection of information as follows:

Table 1.—Estimated Annual Reporting Burden¹

21 CFR Section	No. of Respondents	Annual Frequency ­ per ­­Response	Total ­Annual ­Responses	Hours per Response	Total Hours
58.35(b)(7)	300	60.25	18,075	1	18,075
58.185	300	60.25	18,075	27.65	499,774
Total					517,849
1 There are no capital costs or operating and maintenance costs associated with this collection of information.

Table 2.—Estimated Annual Recordkeeping Burden¹

21 CFR Section	No. of ­Recordkeepers	Annual Frequency per­ Recordkeeping	Total Annual Records	Hours ­per ­ Recordkeeper­	Total Hours
58.29(b)	300	20	6,000	.21	1,260
58.35(b)(1) through (b)(6) and (c)	300	270.56	81,228	3.36	279,926
58.63(b) and (c)	300	60	18,000	.09	1,620
58.81(a) through (c)	300	301.8	90,540	.14	12,676
58.90(c) and (g)	300	62.7	18,810	.13	2,445
58.105(a) and (b)	300	5	1,500	11.8	17,700
58.107(d)	300	1	300	4.25	1,275
58.113(a)	300	15.33	4,599	6.8	31,273
58.120	300	15.38	4,614	32.7	150,878
58.195	300	251.5	75,450	3.9	294,255
Total					793,308
1 There are no capital costs or operating and maintenance costs associated with this collection of information.

Dated: April 24, 2001.

William K. Hubbard,

Senior Associate Commissioner for Policy, Planning, and Legislation.