The FDA has proposed an amendment that would require certain animal drug reports to be submitted electronically.
The FDA announced today that it has proposed an amendment to its current regulations that would require all animal drug sponsors to submit certain adverse event and product manufacturing defect reports to the agency electronically.
The move to mandated electronic submissions is intended to improve the FDA’s systems for collecting and analyzing postmarketing safety reports by:
“Although the FDA carefully evaluates new animal drugs before approval, there is the potential for new information to emerge after marketing, when the product is used in a much larger population and in settings different from the controlled studies required by the approval process,” the agency said in a press release announcing the proposal.
The proposed rule would officially replace the current system, which allows for either electronic or paper submissions. The FDA noted, however, that 99.7% of submitters already submit their reports electronically; the propsed rule is intended to make that figure 100%.
Under the new amendment, electronic submissions would be required for the following reports for approved new animal drugs:
The FDA will begin accepting public comments on the amendment on February 14. Comments can be submitted electronically by visiting regulations.gov and typing docket number FDA-2017-N-6381 into the search box. Alternatively, comments can be mailed to the agency:
Dockets Management Staff
HFA-305
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061
Rockville, MD 20852
Docket number FDA-2017-N-6381 should be written on each page of written comments. Comments will be accepted through April 30, 2018.