Draft Guide on Drug Master Files

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FDA has made available a draft guidance entitled “Drug Master Files.” The document provides current thinking on the submissions that may be used to provide confidential, detailed information about facilities, processes, or articles used in the manufacturing, processing, packaging, and storing of human drug products. DMFs can contain other types of information as well (e.g., toxicology information, shared system risk evaluation and mitigation strategy details). The guidance also provides information about preparing and submitting DMFs. It describes DMF types, the information needed in DMF submissions, and FDA’s DMF review processes.

 

The guidance notes that DMF holders can authorize one or more applicants or sponsors to incorporate by reference information contained in the DMF without having to disclose that information to the applicants or sponsors. DMFs are submitted solely at the discretion of their holders and FDA neither independently reviews nor approves DMF submissions, it says. “Instead, FDA customarily reviews the technical contents of DMFs only in connection with the review of applications that reference them,” it adds. Additionally, information contained in DMFs can be referenced in premarket submissions for devices and animal drugs (e.g., new animal drug applications, FDA says.

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