International Cooperation on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Veterinary Medicinal Products; Guidance for Industry on Studies To Evaluate the Metabolism and Residue Kinetics of Veterinary Drugs in Food-Producing Animals: Comparative Metabolism Studies in Laboratory Animals; Availability

AGENCY:

Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance for industry (#206) entitled “Guidance for Industry on Studies to Evaluate the Metabolism and Residue Kinetics of Veterinary Drugs in Food-Producing Animals: Comparative Metabolism Studies in Laboratory Animals” (VICH GL47). This guidance has been developed for veterinary use by the International Cooperation on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Veterinary Medicinal Products (VICH). This VICH guidance document is intended to provide recommendations for internationally harmonized procedures to identify the metabolites of veterinary drugs produced by laboratory animals used for toxicological testing for the purpose of comparison to the residues of veterinary drugs in edible tissues of food-producing animals.

DATES:

Submit either electronic or written comments on Agency guidances at any time.

ADDRESSES:

Submit written requests for single copies of the guidance to the Communications Staff (HFV-12), Center for Veterinary Medicine, Food and Drug Administration, 7519 Standish Pl., Rockville, MD 20855. Send one self-addressed adhesive label to assist that office in processing your request. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for electronic access to the guidance document.

Submit electronic comments on the guidance to http://www.regulations.gov. Submit written comments to the Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Julia Oriani, Center for Veterinary Medicine (HFV-151), Food and Drug Administration, 7500 Standish Pl., Rockville, MD 20855, 240-276-8204, julia.oriani@fda.hhs.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

FDA is announcing the availability of a guidance for industry (#206) entitled “Guidance for Industry on Studies to Evaluate the Metabolism and Residue Kinetics of Veterinary Drugs in Food-Producing Animals: Comparative Metabolism Studies in Laboratory Animals” (VICH GL47). In recent years, many important initiatives have been undertaken by regulatory authorities and industry associations to promote the international harmonization of regulatory requirements. FDA has participated in efforts to enhance harmonization and has expressed its commitment to seek scientifically based harmonized technical procedures for the development of pharmaceutical products. One of the goals of harmonization is to identify and then reduce differences in technical requirements for drug development among regulatory agencies in different countries.

FDA has actively participated in the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Approval of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use for several years to develop harmonized technical requirements for the approval of human pharmaceutical and biological products among the European Union, Japan, and the United States. The VICH is a parallel initiative for veterinary medicinal products. The VICH is concerned with developing harmonized technical requirements for the approval of veterinary medicinal products in the European Union, Japan, and the United States, and includes input from both regulatory and industry representatives.

The VICH Steering Committee is composed of member representatives from the European Commission, European Medicines Evaluation Agency, European Federation of Animal Health, Committee on Veterinary Medicinal Products, the U.S. FDA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Animal Health Institute, the Japanese Veterinary Pharmaceutical Association, the Japanese Association of Veterinary Biologics, and the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries.

Four observers are eligible to participate in the VICH Steering Committee: One representative from the government of Australia/New Zealand, one representative from the industry in Australia/New Zealand, one representative from the government of Canada, and one representative from the industry of Canada. The VICH Secretariat, which coordinates the preparation of documentation, is provided by the International Federation for Animal Health (IFAH). An IFAH representative also participates in the VICH Steering Committee meetings.

II. Guidance on Comparative Metabolism Studies in Laboratory Animals

In the Federal Register of April 12, 2010 (75 FR 18507), FDA published a notice of availability for a draft guidance entitled “Draft Guidance for Industry on Studies to Evaluate the Metabolism and Residue Kinetics of Veterinary Drugs in Food-Producing Animals: Comparative Metabolism Studies in Laboratory Animals (VICH GL47),” which gave interested persons until May 12, 2010, to comment on the draft guidance. FDA received a few comments on the draft guidance and those comments as well as those received by other VICH member regulatory agencies were considered as the guidance was finalized. At a meeting held in February 2011, the VICH Steering Committee endorsed the final guidance for industry (VICH GL47). The guidance announced in this notice finalizes the draft guidance dated April 12, 2010.

This VICH guidance document is one of a series developed to facilitate the mutual acceptance by national/regional regulators of residue chemistry data for veterinary drugs used in food-producing animals. This guidance was prepared after consideration of the current national/regional requirements and recommendations for evaluating veterinary drug residues in the European Union, Japan, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

The objective of this guidance is to provide recommendations for internationally harmonized procedures to identify the metabolites of veterinary drugs produced by laboratory animals. The purpose of the comparative metabolism studies is to compare the metabolites of the animals used for toxicological testing to the residues of the veterinary drugs in edible tissues of food-producing animals in order to determine if the laboratory animals used for toxicological testing have been exposed to the metabolites that humans can be exposed to as residues in products of food-producing animal origin.

The human food safety evaluation of veterinary drug residues helps ensure that food derived from treated food-producing animals is safe for human consumption. As part of the data collection process, studies should be conducted to characterize the metabolites to which laboratory animals are auto-exposed during the toxicological testing of the veterinary drug. The purpose of these studies is to determine whether the metabolites that people will consume from tissues of target food-producing animals are also produced by metabolism in the laboratory animals used for the safety testing.

III. Significance of Guidance

This guidance, developed under the VICH process, has been revised to conform to FDA's good guidance practices regulation (21 CFR 10.115). For example, the document has been designated “guidance” rather than “guideline.” In addition, guidance documents must not include mandatory language such as “shall,” “must,” “require,” or “requirement,” unless FDA is using these words to describe a statutory or regulatory requirement.

This guidance represents the Agency's current thinking on this topic. It does not create or confer any rights for or on any person and does not operate to bind FDA or the public. An alternative approach may be used if such approach satisfies the requirements of the applicable statutes and regulations.

IV. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

This guidance refers to previously approved collections of information found in FDA regulations. These collections of information are subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520). The collections of information in this guidance have been approved under OMB control number 0910-0032.

V. Comments

Interested persons may submit to the Division of Dockets Management (see ADDRESSES) either electronic or written comments regarding this document. It is only necessary to send one set of comments. It is no longer necessary to send two copies of mailed comments. Identify comments with the docket number found in brackets in the heading of this document. Received comments may be seen in the Division of Dockets Management between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

VI. Electronic Access

Persons with access to the Internet may obtain the guidance at either http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/GuidanceComplianceEnforcement/GuidanceforIndustry/default.htm or http://www.regulations.gov.