Unique Device Identification: Policy Regarding Compliance Dates for Class I and Unclassified Devices and Certain Devices Requiring Direct Marking; Immediately in Effect Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; Availability

Published date01 July 2020
Citation85 FR 39477
Record Number2020-14082
SectionRules and Regulations
CourtFood And Drug Administration
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 127 (Wednesday, July 1, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 127 (Wednesday, July 1, 2020)]
                [Rules and Regulations]
                [Pages 39477-39479]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2020-14082]
                [[Page 39477]]
                =======================================================================
                -----------------------------------------------------------------------
                DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
                Food and Drug Administration
                21 CFR Part 801
                [Docket No. FDA-2017-D-6841]
                Unique Device Identification: Policy Regarding Compliance Dates
                for Class I and Unclassified Devices and Certain Devices Requiring
                Direct Marking; Immediately in Effect Guidance for Industry and Food
                and Drug Administration Staff; Availability
                AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, Health and Human Services (HHS).
                ACTION: Availability of guidance.
                -----------------------------------------------------------------------
                SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing
                the availability of a guidance entitled ``Unique Device Identification:
                Policy Regarding Compliance Dates for Class I and Unclassified Devices
                and Certain Devices Requiring Direct Marking; Immediately in Effect
                Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff.'' This
                guidance revises the guidance by the same title issued November 5,
                2018, and describes FDA's intention with respect to the enforcement of
                unique device identification (UDI) requirements for class I and
                unclassified devices, other than implantable, life-sustaining, or life-
                supporting (I/LS/LS) devices. In this revised guidance, FDA clarifies
                that, at this time, in light of the considerations described in the
                guidance, it does not intend to enforce standard date formatting,
                labeling, and Global Unique Device Identification Database (GUDID) data
                submission requirements for these devices before September 24, 2022.
                The guidance is immediately in effect, but it remains subject to
                comment in accordance with the Agency's good guidance practices.
                DATES: The announcement of the guidance is published in the Federal
                Register on July 1, 2020.
                ADDRESSES: You may submit either electronic or written comments on
                Agency guidances at any time as follows:
                Electronic Submissions
                 Submit electronic comments in the following way:
                 Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.
                Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Comments submitted
                electronically, including attachments, to https://www.regulations.gov
                will be posted to the docket unchanged. Because your comment will be
                made public, you are solely responsible for ensuring that your comment
                does not include any confidential information that you or a third party
                may not wish to be posted, such as medical information, your or anyone
                else's Social Security number, or confidential business information,
                such as a manufacturing process. Please note that if you include your
                name, contact information, or other information that identifies you in
                the body of your comments, that information will be posted on https://www.regulations.gov.
                 If you want to submit a comment with confidential
                information that you do not wish to be made available to the public,
                submit the comment as a written/paper submission and in the manner
                detailed (see ``Written/Paper Submissions'' and ``Instructions'').
                Written/Paper Submissions
                 Submit written/paper submissions as follows:
                 Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier (for written/paper
                submissions): Dockets Management Staff (HFA-305), Food and Drug
                Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.
                 For written/paper comments submitted to the Dockets
                Management Staff, FDA will post your comment, as well as any
                attachments, except for information submitted, marked and identified,
                as confidential, if submitted as detailed in ``Instructions.''
                 Instructions: All submissions received must include the Docket No.
                FDA-2017-D-6841 for ``Unique Device Identification: Policy Regarding
                Compliance Dates for Class I and Unclassified Devices and Certain
                Devices Requiring Direct Marking; Immediately in Effect Guidance for
                Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff.'' Received comments
                will be placed in the docket and, except for those submitted as
                ``Confidential Submissions,'' publicly viewable at https://www.regulations.gov or at the Dockets Management Staff between 9 a.m.
                and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, 240-402-7500.
                 Confidential Submissions--To submit a comment with
                confidential information that you do not wish to be made publicly
                available, submit your comments only as a written/paper submission. You
                should submit two copies total. One copy will include the information
                you claim to be confidential with a heading or cover note that states
                ``THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.'' The Agency will
                review this copy, including the claimed confidential information, in
                its consideration of comments. The second copy, which will have the
                claimed confidential information redacted/blacked out, will be
                available for public viewing and posted on https://www.regulations.gov.
                Submit both copies to the Dockets Management Staff. If you do not wish
                your name and contact information to be made publicly available, you
                can provide this information on the cover sheet and not in the body of
                your comments and you must identify this information as
                ``confidential.'' Any information marked as ``confidential'' will not
                be disclosed except in accordance with 21 CFR 10.20 and other
                applicable disclosure law. For more information about FDA's posting of
                comments to public dockets, see 80 FR 56469, September 18, 2015, or
                access the information at: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2015-09-18/pdf/2015-23389.pdf.
                 Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
                the electronic and written/paper comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov and insert the docket number, found in brackets in
                the heading of this document, into the ``Search'' box and follow the
                prompts and/or go to the Dockets Management Staff, 5630 Fishers Lane,
                Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852, 240-402-7500.
                 You may submit comments on any guidance at any time (see 21 CFR
                10.115(g)(5)).
                 An electronic copy of the guidance document is available for
                download from the internet. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section
                for information on electronic access to the guidance. Submit written
                requests for a single hard copy of the guidance document entitled
                ``Unique Device Identification: Policy Regarding Compliance Dates for
                Class I and Unclassified Devices and Certain Devices Requiring Direct
                Marking; Immediately in Effect Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug
                Administration Staff'' to the Office of the Center Director, Guidance
                and Policy Development, Center for Devices and Radiological Health,
                Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 66, Rm.
                5431, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002 or the Center for Biologics
                Evaluation and Research, Office of Communication, Outreach, and
                Development, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 71, Room 3128, Silver
                Spring, MD 20903. Send one self-addressed adhesive label to assist that
                office in processing your request.
                FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
                 For Center for Devices and Radiological Health-regulated devices:
                Christina Savisaar, UDI Regulatory Policy Support, 10903 New Hampshire
                [[Page 39478]]
                Ave., Bldg. 32, Rm. 3255, 301-796-5995, email:
                [email protected].
                 For Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research-regulated devices:
                Stephen Ripley, Office of Communication, Outreach, and Development,
                Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 71, Rm.
                7301, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, 240-402-7911, or call 1-800-835-
                4709 or 240-402-8010.
                SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
                I. Background
                 FDA is announcing the availability of a guidance entitled ``Unique
                Device Identification: Policy Regarding Compliance Dates for Class I
                and Unclassified Devices and Certain Devices Requiring Direct Marking;
                Immediately in Effect Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug
                Administration Staff.'' On September 24, 2013, FDA published a final
                rule establishing a unique device identification system designed to
                adequately identify devices through distribution and use (the UDI
                Rule). Phased implementation of the regulatory requirements set forth
                in that final rule is based on a series of established compliance dates
                based primarily on device classification, which range from September
                24, 2014, to September 24, 2020.
                 The UDI Rule requires a device to bear a UDI on its label and
                packages unless an exception or alternative applies (see 21 CFR
                801.20), and special labeling requirements apply to stand-alone
                software regulated as a device (21 CFR 801.50). The UDI Rule also
                requires that data pertaining to the key characteristics of each device
                required to bear a UDI be submitted to FDA's GUDID (21 CFR 830.300). In
                addition, the UDI Rule added 21 CFR 801.18, which requires certain
                dates on device labels to be in a standard format. For devices that:
                (1) Must bear UDIs on their labels and (2) are intended to be used more
                than once and reprocessed between uses, 21 CFR 801.45 requires the
                devices to be directly marked with a UDI. Compliance dates for these
                labeling, GUDID data submission, standard date format, and direct
                marking requirements can be found in the preamble to the UDI Rule, 78
                FR 58786 at 58815 to 58816.
                 This guidance describes FDA's intention with regard to enforcement
                of these requirements for class I and unclassified devices, other than
                I/LS/LS devices. This revised guidance supersedes the November 2018
                guidance of the same title, ``Unique Device Identification: Policy
                Regarding Compliance Dates for Class I and Unclassified Devices and
                Certain Devices Requiring Direct Marking; Immediately in Effect
                Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff.'' In this
                revised guidance, FDA states that, at this time, in light of the
                considerations described in the guidance, it does not intend to enforce
                the requirements under 21 CFR 801.18, 801.20, 801.50, and 830.300 for
                class I and unclassified devices, other than I/LS/LS devices, prior to
                September 24, 2022, regardless of the date they are manufactured and
                labeled. The guidance explains that FDA believes it is important to
                continue focusing its resources on addressing UDI implementation issues
                and data quality for higher risk devices and, at this time, concludes
                that continuing its existing policy with regard to enforcement of these
                requirements for class I and unclassified devices, other than I/LS/LS
                devices, is consistent with the public health. In addition, while some
                editorial changes were made to improve clarity, other policies
                described in the November 2018 guidance remain the same in the revised
                guidance.
                 FDA considered comments received on the guidance that appeared in
                the Federal Register on November 5, 2018 (83 FR 55372) as the Agency
                revised the guidance.
                 This guidance is being implemented without prior public comment
                because the Agency has determined that prior public participation is
                not feasible or appropriate (see section 701(h)(1)(C) of the Federal
                Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 371(h)(1)(C)) and 21 CFR
                10.115(g)(2)). FDA has determined that this guidance presents a less
                burdensome policy that is consistent with public health. Although this
                guidance is immediately in effect, FDA will consider all comments
                received and revise the guidance document as appropriate.
                 This guidance is being issued consistent with FDA's good guidance
                practices regulation (21 CFR 10.115). The guidance represents the
                current thinking of FDA on ``Unique Device Identification: Policy
                Regarding Compliance Dates for Class I and Unclassified Devices and
                Certain Devices Requiring Direct Marking.'' It does not establish any
                rights for any person and is not binding on FDA or the public. You can
                use an alternative approach if it satisfies the requirements of the
                applicable statutes and regulations.
                II. Electronic Access
                 Persons interested in obtaining a copy of the guidance may do so by
                downloading an electronic copy from the internet. A search capability
                for all Center for Devices and Radiological Health guidance documents
                is available at https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/device-advice-comprehensive-regulatory-assistance/guidance-documents-medical-devices-and-radiation-emitting-products. This guidance document is also
                available at https://www.regulations.gov or https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/guidance-compliance-regulatory-information-biologics/biologics-guidances. Persons unable to download an electronic
                copy of ``Unique Device Identification: Policy Regarding Compliance
                Dates for Class I and Unclassified Devices and Certain Devices
                Requiring Direct Marking; Immediately in Effect Guidance for Industry
                and Food and Drug Administration Staff'' may send an email request to
                [email protected] to receive an electronic copy of the
                document. Please use the document number 17029 and complete title to
                identify the guidance you are requesting.
                III. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
                 This guidance refers to previously approved collections of
                information. 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. 3501-3521). The collections of information in
                the following FDA regulations have been approved by OMB as listed in
                the following table:
                ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 OMB control
                 21 CFR part Topic No.
                ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                801 subpart B and 830............. Unique Device 0910-0720
                 Identification.
                820............................... Current Good 0910-0073
                 Manufacturing
                 Practice (CGMP);
                 Quality System (QS)
                 Regulation.
                ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                [[Page 39479]]
                 Dated: June 25, 2020.
                Lowell J. Schiller,
                Principal Associate Commissioner for Policy.
                [FR Doc. 2020-14082 Filed 6-30-20; 8:45 am]
                BILLING CODE 4164-01-P
                

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT