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Date: Friday, February 28, 1997 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Food and Drug Administration (301) 4433285, Broadcast Media:(301) 8273434, Consumer Hotline:(800) 5324440
"This new regulatory framework, developed after discussions with industry, academics and professional groups, will allow greater flexibility and innovation in this promising field of medicine," said Vice President Al Gore. "At the same time, safeguards are maintained to protect the public health."
"Human tissues have wide uses in medicine, including skin replacement after severe burns, tendons and ligaments to repair injuries, and corneas to restore eyesight," said HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala. "Now that science is providing even more new ways of using tissues, FDA has developed an innovative regulatory approach to allow these novel products to benefit patients as soon as possible."
In recent years, scientists have developed innovative methods of manipulating and using human cells and tissues for therapeutic purposes. For example, using somatic cell therapy, scientists are studying how to manipulate and use human cells to treat viral infections (including HIV), Parkinson's disease, and diabetes. Other tissue research includes the treatment of diseases and medical conditions by using "cord blood" (from the placenta and umbilical cord) and processed structural cells and tissues.
This new regulatory framework, which provides a tiered approach with the level of regulation proportionate to the degree of risk, focuses on three general goals: (UL) # preventing the unwitting use of contaminated tissues with the potential for transmitting infectious diseases;
This tiered approach will impose little or no regulation for some products, with the degree of oversight increasing with the potential risk, so that extensively processed and novel products would require FDA's approval before they could be marketed. All tissue processing facilities would be required to register with the FDA and to list their products, and all labeling and promotion of these products would have to be clear, accurate, balanced, and nonmisleading.
In designing this new approach, FDA focused on five broad public health and regulatory questions: (1) How can the spread of communicable diseases be prevented? (2) What processing controls are needed to prevent contamination and preserve the integrity of cells and tissues? (3) How can clinical safety and effectiveness be assured? (4) What labeling is necessary, and what kind of promotion is permissible, so that the product may be used properly? and (5) How can FDA best monitor and communicate effectively with the cell and tissue industry? The following examples show how the tiered approach would work:
FDA's current regulation of unmodified or minimally modified tissues that traditionally have been used for replacement purposes (such as bone replacement) focuses on preventing the spread of communicable disease. In December 1993, FDA issued an interim final rule that required the testing of tissue donors for certain transmissible disease such as HIV infection and hepatitis, as well as the screening of donors for behavioral risk factors. FDA intends to finalize these requirements soon. The requirements for this new regulatory framework would be phased in over the next two to three years.
The new regulatory framework does not include whole organs or minimallymanipulated bone marrow, which are both regulated by the Health Resources and Services Administration. It does not cover blood products -- such as whole blood, red blood cells, platelet and plasma -- for transfusion or animal-derived tissues, which FDA regulates under existing authorities. Additional products covered by other regulations and standards include human milk, collagen, and growth factors.