E8-17359. Blood Products Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting

AGENCY:

Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION:

Notice.

This notice announces a forthcoming meeting of a public advisory committee of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The meeting will be open to the public.

Name of Committee: Blood Products Advisory Committee.

General Function of the Committee: To provide advice and recommendations to the agency on FDA's regulatory issues.

Date and Time: The meeting will be held on September 10, 2008, from 8 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. and on September 11, 2008, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Location: Hilton Hotel, Washington, DC/Rockville Executive Meeting Center, 1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852.

Contact Person: Donald W. Jehn or Pearline K. Muckelvene, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) (HFM-71), Food and Drug Administration, 1401 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852, 301-827-0314, or FDA Advisory Committee Information Line, 1-800-741-8138 (301-443-0572 in the Washington, DC area), code 3014519516. Please call the Information Line for up-to-date information on this meeting. A notice in the Federal Register about last minute modifications that impact a previously announced advisory committee meeting cannot always be published quickly enough to provide timely notice. Therefore, you should always check the agency's Web site and call the appropriate advisory committee hot line/phone line to learn about possible modifications before coming to the meeting.

Agenda: On the morning of September 10, 2008, the Committee will hear an update on the May 29 to 30, 2008, meeting of the Department of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability. Following this update, the Committee will discuss strategies to enhance bacterial safety of 7 day platelets for transfusion. In the afternoon, the Committee will discuss iron status in blood donors. On September 11, 2008, the Committee will hear updates on the following topics: (1) April 29 to 30, 2008, workshop on hemoglobin based oxygen carriers; (2) July 10 to 11, 2008, blood establishment computer software conference; (3) the development of an automated Biologics License Application submission system; and (4) Draft Guidance for Industry: Re-qualification Method for Re-entry of Blood Donors Deferred Because of Reactive Test Results for Antibody to Hepatitis B Core Antigen (Anti-HBc). Following these updates, the Committee will discuss options for blood donor screening and re-entry for malaria. FDA intends to make background material available to the public no later than 2 business days before the meeting. If FDA is unable to post the background material on its Web site prior to the meeting, the background material will be made publicly available at the location of the advisory committee meeting, and the background material will be posted on FDA's Web site after the meeting. Background material is available at http://www.fda.gov/​ohrms/​dockets/​ac/​acmenu.htm, click on the year 2008 and scroll down to the appropriate advisory committee link.

Procedure: Interested persons may present data, information, or views, orally or in writing, on issues pending before the committee. Written submissions may be made to the contact person on or before September 2, 2008. Oral presentations from the public will be scheduled between approximately 10:45 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. and between approximately 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on September 10, 2008, and between approximately 9:15 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. and between approximately 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. on September 11, 2008. Those desiring to make formal oral presentations should notify the contact person 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 requested to make their presentation on or before August 22, 2008. Time allotted for each presentation may be limited. If the number of registrants requesting to speak is greater than can be reasonably accommodated during the scheduled open public hearing session, FDA may conduct a lottery to determine the speakers for the scheduled open public hearing session. The contact person will notify interested persons regarding their request to speak by August 25, 2008.

Persons attending FDA's advisory committee meetings are advised that the agency is not responsible for providing access to electrical outlets.

FDA welcomes the attendance of the public at its advisory committee meetings and will make every effort to accommodate persons with physical disabilities or special needs. If you require special accommodations due to a disability, please contact Donald W. Jehn or Pearline K. Muckelvene at least 7 days in advance of the meeting.

FDA is committed to the orderly conduct of its advisory committee meetings. Please visit our Web site at http://www.fda.gov/​oc/​advisory/​default.htm for procedures on public conduct during advisory committee meetings.

Notice of this meeting is given under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. app. 2).

Dated: July 17, 2008.

Randall W. Lutter,

Deputy Commissioner for Policy.