97-15450. Order for Certain Class III Devices; Submission of Safety and Effectiveness Information; Group 2  

  • [Federal Register Volume 62, Number 114 (Friday, June 13, 1997)]
    [Notices]
    [Pages 32355-32358]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 97-15450]
    
    
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    DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
    
    Food and Drug Administration
    [Docket No. 94N-0417]
    
    
    Order for Certain Class III Devices; Submission of Safety and 
    Effectiveness Information; Group 2
    
    AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.
    
    ACTION: Notice.
    
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    SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is revising the 
    schedule for submission of summaries and citations for 3 devices 
    included in the order requiring manufacturers of 31 class III devices 
    (Group 2) to submit to FDA a summary of, and a citation to, all 
    information known or otherwise available to them respecting such 
    devices, including adverse safety or effectiveness information 
    concerning the devices that have not been submitted under the Federal 
    Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the act). In response to comments 
    received on the August 14, 1995, order and in order to facilitate the 
    review process, FDA is grouping three cardiovascular devices with 
    related uses together and is changing the date by which summaries and 
    citations are to be submitted for them to February 14, 1998. As a 
    reminder to device manufacturers, FDA is also reprinting the due dates 
    for all other devices listed in the August 14, 1995, order.
    
    DATES: Summaries and citations must be submitted by the dates listed 
    below.
    
    
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    ADDRESSES: Submit summaries and citations to the Document Mail Center 
    (HFZ-401), Food and Drug Administration, Center for Devices and 
    Radiological Health, 9200 Corporate Blvd., Rockville, MD 20850.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Doreen M. Melling, Center for Devices 
    and Radiological Health (HFZ-404), Food and Drug Administration, 9200 
    Corporate Blvd., Rockville, MD 20850, 301-594-2186.
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    
    I. Background
    
        Section 513 of the act (21 U.S.C. 360c) requires the classification 
    of medical devices into one of three classes: Class I (general 
    controls), class II (special controls), and class III (premarket 
    approval). Generally, devices that were on the market before May 28, 
    1976, the date of enactment of the Medical Device Amendments of 1976 
    (the amendments) (Pub. L. 94-295), and devices marketed on or after 
    that date that are substantially equivalent to such devices, have been 
    classified by FDA. This notice refers to both the class III devices 
    that were on the market before May 28, 1976, and the substantially 
    equivalent devices that were marketed on or after that date, as 
    ``preamendment devices''.
        Section 515(b) of the act (21 U.S.C. 360e(b)) establishes the 
    requirement that a preamendments device that FDA has classified into 
    class III is subject to premarket approval. However the submission of a 
    premarket approval application (PMA), or a notice of completion of a 
    product development protocol (PDP), is not required until 90 days after 
    FDA issues a final rule requiring premarket approval for the device, or 
    30 months after final classification of the device, whichever is later. 
    Also, such a device is exempt from the investigational device exemption 
    (IDE) regulations (21 CFR part 812) until the date stipulated by FDA in 
    the final rule requiring premarket approval for that device. If a PMA 
    or a notice of completion of a PDP is not filed by the later of the two 
    dates, commercial distribution of the device is required to cease. The 
    device may, however, be distributed only for investigational use if the 
    manufacturer, importer, or other sponsor of the device complies with 
    the IDE regulations.
        To date, FDA has issued final rules requiring the submission of 
    PMA's for 52 preamendment class III devices. Additionally, FDA has 
    issued proposed rules for 12 other devices. There are 68 remaining 
    preamendment class III devices for which FDA has not yet initiated any 
    action requiring the submission of PMA's. The original number of 
    approximately 140 preamendments class III devices can be accounted for 
    by past reclassification actions.
        The Safe Medical Devices Act of 1990 (the SMDA) (Pub. L. 101-629) 
    changed the definition of class II devices from those for which a 
    performance standard is necessary to provide reasonable assurance of 
    safety and effectiveness to those for which there is sufficient 
    information to establish special controls to provide such assurance. 
    Special controls include performance standards, postmarket 
    surveillance, patient registries, guidelines (including guidelines for 
    the submission of clinical data in premarket notification submissions 
    in accordance with section 510(k) of the act (21 U.S.C. 360(k)), 
    recommendations, and other appropriate actions the agency deems 
    necessary to provide such assurance. Thus, the SMDA modified the 
    definition of class II devices to permit reliance on special controls, 
    rather than performance standards alone, to provide reasonable 
    assurance of safety and effectiveness.
        The SMDA also added new section 515(i) to the act. This section 
    requires FDA to order manufacturers of preamendment class III devices 
    for which no final regulation requiring the submission of PMA's has 
    been issued to submit to the agency a summary of, and a citation to, 
    any information known or otherwise available to them respecting such 
    devices, including adverse safety and effectiveness information which 
    has not been submitted under section 519 of the act (21 U.S.C. 360i). 
    Section 519 of the act requires manufacturers, importers, or 
    distributors to maintain records and to report information that 
    reasonably suggests that one of its marketed devices may have caused or 
    contributed to a death or serious injury or that a malfunction of the 
    device is likely to cause death or serious injury on recurrence. 
    Section 515(i) of the act also directs FDA to publish a regulation 
    before December 1, 1995, for each device subject to section 515(i), 
    either revising the classification of the device into class I or class 
    II or requiring the device to remain in class III. Finally, section 
    515(i) of the act requires that, within 12 months after publication of 
    a regulation retaining a device in class III, FDA is to establish a 
    schedule for the promulgation of a rule requiring the submission of 
    PMA's for the device.
        In the Federal Register of May 6, 1994 (59 FR 23731), FDA announced 
    its strategy for addressing the 116 remaining preamendment class III 
    devices. In this notice, FDA made available a document setting forth 
    its strategy for implementing the provisions of the SMDA that require 
    FDA to review the classification of certain class III devices, and 
    either reclassify the devices into class I or class II or retain them 
    in class III. Under this plan, the agency divided the universe of 
    preamendment class III devices into three groups: Group 1 devices are 
    devices that FDA believes raise significant questions of safety and/or 
    effectiveness, but are no longer used or are very limited in use; Group 
    2 devices are devices that FDA believes have a high potential for being 
    reclassified into class II; and Group 3 devices are devices that FDA 
    believes are currently in commercial distribution and are not likely 
    candidates for reclassification. There are a total of 43, 31, and 42 
    (15 high priority) devices in Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively.
        In the May 6, 1994, notice, FDA announced its intention to call for 
    the submission of PMA's for the 15 highest priority devices in Group 3, 
    and for all Group 1 devices. In the Federal Register of September 27, 
    1996 (61 FR 50704), was published a final rule requiring the filing of 
    a PMA or a notice of completion of a PDP for 41 class III devices 
    (Group 1 device). In the Federal Register of May 6, 1994, notice, the 
    agency also announced its intention to issue an order under section 
    515(i) of the act for the remaining Group 3 devices and all of the 
    Group 2 devices.
        In the Federal Register of August 14, 1995 (60 FR 41986), FDA 
    issued an order requiring manufacturers of the 31 devices in Group 2 to 
    submit a summary of, and citation to, all safety and effectiveness 
    information known or otherwise available to them respecting such 
    devices, including adverse safety and effectiveness information 
    concerning the devices which had not been submitted under section 519 
    of the act. Under section 515(i) of the act, FDA is authorized to 
    require the submission of the adverse safety and effectiveness 
    information identified in the summary and citation submitted in 
    response to this order, if such information is available. In this 
    notice, FDA is grouping three devices with related uses together and is 
    revising the date by which summaries and citations are to be submitted. 
    The summaries for the cardiopulmonary bypass arterial line blood filter 
    (originally due by August 14, 1997), the cardiopulmonary bypass 
    pulsatile flow generator (originally due by August 14, 1998), and the 
    cardiopulmonary bypass oxygenator (originally due by August 14, 1997) 
    are now due by February 14, 1998. Based upon the information submitted 
    in
    
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    response to this order, FDA will issue a proposed regulation for each 
    device either proposing its reclassification into class I or class II, 
    or retaining the device in class III. The due dates for summaries and 
    citations for the other Group 2 devices remain the same and are listed 
    below.
    
    II. Statutory Authority and Enforcement
    
        In addition to the provisions of section 515(i) of the SMDA 
    described in section I of this document, this order is issued under 
    section 519 of the act, as implemented by Sec. 860.7(g)(2) (21 CFR 
    860.7(g)(2)). This regulation authorizes FDA to require reports or 
    other information bearing on the classification of a device. Section 
    519 of the act also requires the reporting of any death or serious 
    injury caused by a device or by its malfunction.
        Failure to comply with this order is a prohibited act under section 
    301(q) of the act (21 U.S.C. 331(q)), and the agency will use its 
    enforcement powers to deter noncompliance. Violations under section 301 
    of the act may be subject to seizure or injunction under sections 
    302(a) and 304(a) of the act (21 U.S.C. 332(a) and 334(a)). In 
    addition, violations under section 301 of the act may be subject to 
    civil penalties under section 303(f) of the act (21 U.S.C. 333(f)) and 
    criminal prosecution under section 303(a) of the act.
    
    III. Order
    
        The agency is hereby issuing this order under sections 515(i) and 
    519 of the act and Sec. 860.7(g)(1) of the regulations. Under the 
    order, the required information shall be submitted by the dates listed 
    below so that FDA may begin promptly the process established by section 
    515(i) of the act to either revise or sustain the current 
    classification of these devices. The three devices listed with a 
    February 14, 1998, due date are the devices whose due date is being 
    revised. The remaining due dates are reprinted here from the August 14, 
    1995, order as a reminder to device manufacturers.
    
    A. Deadlines for Submission of Information
    
        For the following eight devices, the required information was to be 
    submitted by August 14, 1996:
        1.  Sec. 864.7250 Erythropoietin assay.
        2. Sec. 864.7300 Fibrin monomer paracoagulation test.
        3. Sec. 876.3630 Penile rigidity implant.
        4. Sec. 878.5360 Tweezer-type epilator.
        5. Sec. 884.1060 Endometrial aspirator.
        6. Sec. 884.1100 Endometrial brush.
        7. Sec. 884.1185 Endometrial washer.
        8.  Sec. 886.3920 Eye valve implants.
        For the following nine devices, the required information was to be 
    submitted by February 14, 1997:
        9. Sec. 866.3305 Herpes simplex virus serological reagents.
        10.  Sec. 866.3510 Rubella virus serological reagents.
        11.  Sec. 870.3620 Pacemaker lead adaptor.
        12.  Sec. 872.6080 Airbrush.
        13.  Sec. 876.4480 Electrohydraulic lithotriptor.
        14.  Sec. 878.3610 Esophageal prosthesis.
        15.  Sec. 878.3720 Tracheal prosthesis.
        16.  Sec. 884.4100 Endoscopic electrocautery and accessories.
        17.  Sec. 884.4150 Bipolar endoscopic coagulator-cutter and 
    accessories.
        For the following eight devices, the required information shall be 
    submitted by August 14, 1997:
        18.  Sec. 868.1150 Indwelling blood carbon dioxide partial pressure 
    analyzer.
        19.  Sec. 868.1170 Indwelling blood hydrogen ion concentration. 
    analyzer.
        20.  Sec. 868.1200 Indwelling blood oxygen partial pressure 
    analyzer.
        21.  Sec. 870.3680 Cardiovascular permanent pacemaker electrodes.
        22.  Sec. 876.5860 High permeability hemodialysis system.
        23.  Sec. 878.5650 Topical 02 chamber.
        24.  Sec. 882.5940 Electroconvulsive therapy device.
        25.  Sec. 888.3660 Shoulder semi-constrained.
        For the following three devices, the required information shall be 
    submitted by February 14, 1998:
        26. Sec. 870.4260 Cardiopulmonary bypass arterial line blood 
    filter. (Originally due August 14, 1997.)1
        27. Sec. 870.4320 Cardiopulmonary bypass pulsatile flow generator. 
    (Originally due on August 14, 1998.)1 
        28. Sec. 870.4350 Cardiopulmonary bypass oxygenator. (Originally 
    due on August 14, 1997.)\1\
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        \1\ Revised due date.
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        For the following three devices, the required information shall be 
    submitted by August 14, 1998:
        29.  Sec. 870.3710 Pacemaker repair or replacement material.
        30.  Sec. 870.5200 External cardiac compressor.
        31.  Sec. 876.5540 Implanted blood access device.
    
    B. Required Contents of Submissions
    
        By the dates listed in section III. A of this document, all 
    manufactures currently marketing preamendments class III devices 
    subject to this order shall provide a summary of, and citation to, any 
    information known or otherwise available to them respecting the 
    devices, including adverse safety and effectiveness data which has not 
    been submitted under section 519 of the act. FDA suggests that it may 
    be in the best interest of submitters to summarize the information 
    submitted under section 519 of the act to facilitate FDA's 
    decisionmaking, even though such information is not required.
        The information should be submitted in one of the two following 
    formats depending on whether the applicant is aware of any information 
    that would support the reclassification of the device into class I 
    (general controls) or class II (special controls). Information that 
    would support the reclassification of the device must consist of 
    adequate, valid scientific evidence showing that general controls alone 
    (class I), or general controls and special controls (class II) will 
    provide a reasonable assurance of the safety and effectiveness of the 
    device.
        For manufacturers who are not aware of any information that would 
    support the reclassification of their device into class I or class II, 
    the information provided should be submitted in the following format:
        1. Indications for use. A general description of the disease or 
    condition to be diagnosed, treated, cured, mitigated, or prevented, 
    including a description of the patient population for which the device 
    is intended.
        2.  Device description. An explanation of how the device functions, 
    significant physical and performance characteristics of the device, and 
    basic scientific concepts that form the basis for the device.
        3. Other device labeling. Other device labeling that includes 
    contraindications, warnings and precautions and/or promotional 
    materials.
        4. Risks. A summary of all adverse safety and effectiveness 
    information and identification of the risks presented by the device as 
    well as any mechanisms or procedures which will control the risk.
        5. Alternative practices and procedures. A description of 
    alternative practices or procedures for diagnosing, treating, 
    preventing, curing, or mitigating the disease or condition for which 
    the device is intended.
        6. Summary of preclinical and clinical data. The summary of 
    preclinical and clinical data should include the conclusions drawn from 
    the studies which support the safety and effectiveness of the device as 
    well as special controls, if any, which address the adverse effects of 
    the device on health. The summary should include a
    
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    brief description of the objective of the studies, the experimental 
    design, how the data were collected and analyzed, and a brief 
    description of the results of the studies, whether positive, negative, 
    or inconclusive. The summary of the clinical study(ies) should also 
    include a discussion of the subject inclusion and exclusion criteria, 
    the study population, reasons for patient discontinuations, and results 
    of statistical analyses.
        7. Bibliography. A copy of the key references, a brief summary of 
    the salient features of each key reference, and a brief discussion of 
    why the reference is relevant to an evaluation of the safety and 
    effectiveness evaluation of the device.
        Manufacturers who are aware of information that would support the 
    reclassification of their device into class I or class II may either 
    submit information using the format described below or may submit a 
    formal reclassification petition, which should include the information 
    described below in addition to the information required under 21 CFR 
    860.123:
        1. Identification. A brief narrative identification of the device. 
    This identification should be specific enough to distinguish a 
    particular device from a generic type of device. Where appropriate, 
    this identification should include a listing of the materials, and the 
    component parts, and a description of the intended use of the device.
        2. Risks to health. An identification of the risks to health should 
    be provided. This section should summarize all adverse safety and 
    effectiveness information that has not been submitted under section 519 
    of the act, particularly the most significant. The mechanisms or 
    procedures which will control the risk should be described. A list of 
    the general hazards associated with the device and a bibliography with 
    copies of the referenced material should be provided.
        3. Recommendation. A statement whether the manufacturer believes 
    the device should be reclassified into class I or class II.
        4. Summary of reasons for recommendation. Each manufacturer should 
    include a summary of the reasons for requesting reclassification of its 
    device and an explanation of why it believes the device meets the 
    statutory criteria for reclassification into class I or class II. Each 
    manufacturer should also identify the special controls that it believes 
    would be sufficient to provide reasonable assurance of the safety and 
    effectiveness of its device if it believes the device should be 
    reclassified into class II.
        5. Summary of valid scientific evidence on which the recommendation 
    is based. Manufacturers are advised that, when considering a formal 
    reclassification petition, FDA will rely only upon valid scientific 
    evidence to determine that there is reasonable assurance of the safety 
    and effectiveness of the device, if regulated by general controls alone 
    (class I) or by general controls and special controls (class II). Valid 
    scientific evidence consists of evidence from well-controlled 
    investigations, partially controlled studies, studies and objective 
    trials without matched controls, well-documented case histories 
    conducted by qualified experts, and reports of significant human 
    experience with a marketed device, from which it can fairly and 
    responsibly be concluded by qualified experts that there is reasonable 
    assurance of the safety and effectiveness of a device under its 
    conditions of use. The evidence required may vary according to the 
    characteristics of the device, its conditions of use, the existence and 
    adequacy of warnings and other restrictions, and the extent of 
    experience with its use. Isolated case reports, random experience, 
    reports lacking sufficient details to permit scientific evaluation, and 
    unsubstantiated opinions are not regarded as valid scientific evidence 
    to show safety or effectiveness (see Sec. 860.7(c)(2)).
        According to Sec. 860.7(d)(1), there is reasonable assurance that a 
    device is safe when it can be determined, based upon valid scientific 
    evidence, that the probable benefits to health from use of the device 
    for its intended uses and conditions of use, when accompanied by 
    adequate directions and warnings against unsafe use, outweigh any 
    probable risks. The valid scientific evidence used to determine the 
    safety of a device shall adequately demonstrate the absence of 
    unreasonable risk of illness or injury associated with the use of the 
    device for its intended uses and conditions for use. Moreover, under 
    Sec. 860.7(e)(1), there is reasonable assurance that a device is 
    effective when it can be determined, based upon valid scientific 
    evidence, that in a significant portion of the target population, the 
    use of the device for its intended uses and conditions of use, when 
    accompanied by adequate directions for use and warnings against unsafe 
    use, will provide clinically significant results.
        Manufacturers submitting a formal reclassification petition may 
    wish to request two petitions as examples of successful 
    reclassification petitions. Magnetic resonance imaging devices, Docket 
    Nos. 87P-0214/CP-1 through CP-13, and Nd:YAG Laser for posterior 
    capsulotomy devices, Docket No. 86P-0083, were both reclassified from 
    class III to class II subsequent to the submission of reclassification 
    petitions. Both petitions are available upon submission of a Freedom of 
    Information request to the Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305), Food 
    and Drug Administration, 12420 Parklawn Dr., rm. 1-23, Rockville, MD 
    20850.
    
    IV. Submission of Required Information
    
        The summary of, and citation to, any information required by the 
    act must be submitted by the dates listed above to the Document Mail 
    Center (address above).
    
        Dated: June 4, 1997.
     Joseph A. Levitt,
     Deputy Director for Regulations Policy, Center for Devices and 
    Radiological Health.
    [FR Doc. 97-15450 Filed 6-12-97; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 4160-01-F
    
    
    

Document Information

Published:
06/13/1997
Department:
Food and Drug Administration
Entry Type:
Notice
Action:
Notice.
Document Number:
97-15450
Dates:
Summaries and citations must be submitted by the dates listed below.
Pages:
32355-32358 (4 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Docket No. 94N-0417
PDF File:
97-15450.pdf