Rabies: Developing Monoclonal Antibody Cocktails for the Passive Immunization Component of Post-Exposure Prophylaxis; Draft Guidance for Industry; Availability

AGENCY:

Food and Drug Administration, Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION:

Notice of availability.

SUMMARY:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing the availability of a draft guidance for industry entitled “Rabies: Developing Monoclonal Antibody Cocktails for the Passive Immunization Component of Post-Exposure Prophylaxis.” The purpose of this draft guidance is to help sponsors in the development of anti-rabies virus monoclonal antibody (mAb) cocktails as an alternative to anti-rabies virus immunoglobulin (RIG) as the passive immunization component of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for the prevention of rabies when given immediately after contact with a rabid or possibly rabid animal.

DATES:

Submit either electronic or written comments on the draft guidance by September 27, 2021 to ensure that the Agency considers your comment on this draft guidance before it begins work on the final version of the guidance.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments on any guidance 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-2021-D-0519 for “Rabies: Developing Monoclonal Antibody Cocktails for the Passive Immunization Component of Post-Exposure Prophylaxis.” 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)).

Submit written requests for single copies of the draft guidance to the Division of Drug Information, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, 10001 New Hampshire Ave., Hillandale Building, 4th Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002. Send one self-addressed adhesive label to assist that office in processing your requests. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for electronic access to the draft guidance document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Stephanie Troy, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 22, Rm. 6381, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, 240-402-4656.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

FDA is announcing the availability of a draft guidance for industry entitled “Rabies: Developing Monoclonal Antibody Cocktails for the Passive Immunization Component of Post-Exposure Prophylaxis.” The purpose of this draft guidance is to help sponsors in the development of anti-rabies virus mAb cocktails as an alternative to RIG as the passive immunization component of PEP for the prevention of rabies when given immediately after contact with a rabid or possibly rabid animal. Because of the unique complexities of drug development in this area, extensive discussion with multiple stakeholders has taken place, including a public workshop in 2017 and an advisory committee meeting in 2019. These discussions helped FDA formulate the considerations for rabies mAb cocktail development that are described in this draft guidance.

The draft guidance addresses the following topics:

• Considerations when selecting the mAbs included in the cocktail
• The nonclinical and clinical data needed to support clinical trials of the mAb cocktail in potentially rabies virus-exposed subjects
• The clinical data recommended to support an initial biologics license application submission of the mAb cocktail for a second-line indication in situations where human-derived RIG is not available
• The clinical data recommended to support a first-line indication for the mAb cocktail

This draft guidance is being issued consistent with FDA's good guidance practices regulation (21 CFR 10.115). The draft guidance, when finalized, will represent the current thinking of FDA on “Rabies: Developing Monoclonal Antibody Cocktails for the Passive Immunization Component of Post-Exposure Prophylaxis.” 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. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

While this guidance contains no collection of information, it does refer to previously approved FDA collections of information. Therefore, clearance by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521) is not required for this guidance. The previously approved collections of information are subject to review by OMB under the PRA. The collections of information associated with submissions of content and format of labeling for drugs and biologics in 21 CFR 201.56 and 201.57 have been approved under OMB control number 0910-0572; the collections of information associated with submissions of investigational new drug applications in 21 CFR part 312 have been approved under OMB control numbers 0910-0014; the collections of information associated with submissions of applications for approval to market a new drug in 21 CFR part 314 have been approved under 0910-0001; the collections of information associated with the reporting and recordkeeping of postmarketing adverse drug experiences have been approved under OMB control numbers 0910-0001, 0910-0230, 0910-0291, and 0910-0645; and the collections of information associated with general licensing provisions for biologics in 21 CFR part 601 have been approved under OMB control number 0910-0338.

III. Electronic Access

Persons with access to the internet may obtain the draft guidance at https://www.fda.gov/drugs/guidance-compliance-regulatory-information/guidances-drugs,, https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents,, or https://www.regulations.gov.