[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 142 (Friday, July 24, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 39789-39790]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-19916]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Food and Drug Administration
21 CFR Part 808
[Docket No. 97N-0222]
Medical Devices; Preemption of State Product Liability Claims
AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.
ACTION: Withdrawal of proposed rule.
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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing that it
is withdrawing a proposed rule that published in the Federal Register
of December 12, 1997 (62 FR 65384), relating to medical device
preemption of State product liability claims. FDA is making this
withdrawal because of concerns that have been raised regarding the
interplay between the FDA Modernization Act of 1997 (FDAMA) and the
proposed rule.
DATES: The proposed rule is withdrawn July 24, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft proposed rule and its comments may be
obtained from the Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305), Food and Drug
Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph M. Sheehan, Center for Devices
and Radiological Health (HFZ-215), Food and Drug Administration, 2094
Gaither Rd., Rockville, MD 20850, 301-827-2974.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 521 of the Federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act (the act) (21 U.S.C. 360k) contains an express preemption
provision applicable to medical devices regulated by FDA. The Supreme
Court addressed whether section 521 of the act preempts State common
law tort claims arising from allegedly defective medical devices. (See
Medtronic, Inc. v. Lohr (Lohr), 116 S.Ct. 2240 (1996).) The Court
concluded that section 521 of the act did not supplant the State law
duties for devices marketed pursuant to a premarket clearance issued
under section 510(k) of the act (21 U.S.C. 360(k)). Since Lohr was
decided, the lower courts have interpreted section 521 of the act
inconsistently and have reached conflicting conclusions with respect to
whether section 521 of the act preempts State law claims for injuries
allegedly resulting from medical devices that have received premarket
approval under section 515 of the act (21 U.S.C. 360e), or have
received an investigational device exemption under section 520(g) of
the act (21 U.S.C. 360j(g)).
In light of the confusion among the lower courts in interpreting
section 521 of the act since Lohr, and in accordance with the Supreme
Court's recognition that FDA's interpretation of the preemptive effect
of section 521 of the act is entitled to substantial weight, the agency
issued the proposed rule in the Federal Register of December 12, 1997
(62 FR 65384), addressing the circumstances under which section 521 of
the act preempts State common law tort claims based on injury from
allegedly defective medical devices. The proposal is consistent with
the position that the agency has historically taken on issues related
to device preemption. The comment period on this proposed rule was open
until February 10, 1998. The agency received 41 comments from a variety
of associations, law firms, and individuals representing industry and
consumer interests.
FDA has decided to withdraw the rulemaking to amend its regulations
regarding preemption of State and local requirements applicable to
medical devices. FDA is taking this action because, even though the
proposed rule was issued after the enactment of FDAMA, it was
conceptualized and written prior to enactment.
Concerns have been raised by industry and congressional
representatives that the agency did not share its thinking on its
interpretation of section 521 of the act during FDAMA deliberations,
even though an early draft of the proposed rule was shared during the
spring of 1997 with attorneys for Public Citizen Litigation Group, who
represented Lohr in the Lohr case. The remedy under FDA's regulations
for disclosure of a draft regulation is ordinarily to issue a notice in
the Federal Register making the draft publicly available. See 21 CFR
10.80(b)(2). Such a contemporaneous notice was not, however, provided
in this case.
Because of the great policy significance of these preemption
issues, the concern that Congress was not aware of the agency's
thinking during FDAMA deliberations, and the potential interplay
between the FDAMA device provisions and device preemption, the agency
believes that it is imperative for all interested parties to have
confidence that the agency is addressing their concerns in an impartial
manner. Therefore, the agency is taking the unusual step of withdrawing
the proposed rule.
The early draft of the proposed rule that was disclosed, the
comments on it, and the correspondence raising
[[Page 39790]]
concerns about the disclosure are being placed in the Dockets
Management Branch (address above) and can be identified with the docket
number found in brackets in the heading of the document.
Dated: July 17, 1998.
William B. Schultz,
Deputy Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 98-19916 Filed 7-21-98; 5:07 pm]
BILLING CODE 4160-01-F
