[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 21, Volume 5]
[Revised as of April 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 21CFR316.14]

[Page 177]
 
                        TITLE 21--FOOD AND DRUGS
 
CHAPTER I--FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN 
                          SERVICES (CONTINUED)
 
PART 316_ORPHAN DRUGS--Table of Contents
 
  Subpart B_Written Recommendations for Investigations of Orphan Drugs
 
Sec.  316.14  Refusal to provide written recommendations.

    (a) FDA may refuse to provide written recommendations concerning the 
nonclinical laboratory studies and clinical investigations necessary for 
approval of a marketing application for any of the following reasons:
    (1) The information required to be submitted by Sec.  316.10(b) has 
not been submitted, or the information submitted is incomplete.
    (2) There is insufficient information about:
    (i) The drug to identify the active moiety and its physical and 
chemical properties, if these characteristics can be determined; or
    (ii) The disease or condition to determine that the disease or 
condition is rare in the United States; or
    (iii) The reasons for believing that the drug may be useful for 
treating the rare disease or condition with that drug; or
    (iv) The regulatory and marketing history of the drug to determine 
the scope and type of investigations that have already been conducted on 
the drug for the rare disease or condition; or
    (v) The plan of study for establishing the safety and effectiveness 
of the drug for treatment of the rare disease or condition.
    (3) The specific questions for which the sponsor seeks the advice of 
the agency are unclear or are not sufficiently specific.
    (4) On the basis of the information submitted and on other 
information available to the agency, FDA determines that the disease or 
condition for which the drug is intended is not rare in the United 
States.
    (5) On the basis of the information submitted and on other 
information available to the agency, FDA determines that there is an 
inadequate basis for permitting investigational use of the drug under 
part 312 of this chapter for the rare disease or condition.
    (6) The request for information contains an untrue statement of 
material fact.
    (b) A refusal to provide written recommendations will be in writing 
and will include a statement of the reason for FDA's refusal. Where 
practicable, FDA will describe the information or material it requires 
or the conditions the sponsor must meet for FDA to provide 
recommendations.
    (c) Within 90 days after the date of a letter from FDA requesting 
additional information or material or setting forth the conditions that 
the sponsor is asked to meet, the sponsor shall either:
    (1) Provide the information or material or amend the request for 
written recommendations to meet the conditions sought by FDA; or
    (2) Withdraw the request for written recommendations. FDA will 
consider a sponsor's failure to respond within 90 days to an FDA letter 
requesting information or material or setting forth conditions to be met 
to be a withdrawal of the request for written recommendations.