FDA Publishes Draft Guidance on Voluntary Consensus Standards Recognition Program for Regenerative Medicine Therapies

Posted in :: 2022 Volume 3 :: Wednesday, August 17th, 2022

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responding to needs for regulatory predictability and leverage of stakeholder efforts for standardization in regenerative medicine therapies, including cellular therapy, via a draft guidance that introduces a voluntary consensus standards recognition program.

Published in June 2022, Voluntary Consensus Standards Recognition Program for Regenerative Medicine Therapies: Draft Guidance for Industry acknowledges many unique challenges caused by the novelty of regenerative medicine therapy products. The proposed standards recognition program for regenerative medicine therapies (SRP-RMT) is intended to:

  • Use agency expertise to evaluate and recognize voluntary consensus standards.
  • Provide transparency to industry and other stakeholders regarding CBER’s thinking about a particular method or approach.
  • Promote the visibility and use of standards applicable to the agency’s mission.

The draft guidance describes the purpose of the program, procedures for evaluating standards for recognition, documenting the use of a recognized standard, and questions and answers.

Comments on the draft guidance are due by September 14, 2022. Comments may be submitted to https://www.regulations.gov, Docket No. FDA-2022-D-0745-0001.

A public workshop to discuss the guidance will be hosted by the Standards Coordinating Body (SCB) free of charge on August 24, 2022 at 12 pm ET. Register online.