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Certificates of Confidentiality: Guidance for Sponsors, Sponsor-Investigators, Researchers, Industry, and Food and Drug Administration Staff

FinalOffice of the Commissioner,Office of Policy, Legislation, and International Affairs,Office of Policy Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Center for Devices and Radiological Health Center for Tobacco Products Human Foods Program Center for Veterinary Medicine Office of the Commissioner,Office of the Chief Scientist11/13/2020

Description

This guidance describes FDA implementation of the revised provisions applicable to the request for, and issuance of, a Certificate of Confidentiality (CoC). The 21st Century Cures Act (Cures Act) (Public Law 114-255) amended the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act), section 301(d) (42 U.S.C. 241(d)) relating to the issuance of CoCs. A CoC is intended to help protect the privacy of human subject research participants from whom identifiable, sensitive information is being collected or used in furtherance of the research. Historically, a CoC generally protected a researcher from being compelled to disclose identifiable, sensitive information about the research participant, created or compiled for purposes of the human subject research. As amended, the statute broadened the protections by affirmatively prohibiting holders of CoCs from disclosing such information unless a specific exception applies.

Scope & Applicability

Stakeholders

3
Institutional Review Board

Governs top dose in clinical studies

Researcher

responsible for designing and executing the study

Sponsor-Investigator

A licensed physician who submits an expanded access IND and administers the drug.; Physician acting as a sponsor for an individual patient IND; An individual who both initiates and conducts a clinical investigation.; Role that may authorize expanded access protocols

Regulatory Context

Attributes

1
Identifiable, sensitive information

Information protected by a Certificate of Confidentiality; Information about an individual gathered during research that could deduce identity

Related CFR Sections (5)

See Also (8)

Certificates of Confidentiality: Guidance for Sponsors, Sponsor-Investigators, Researchers, Industry, and Food and Drug Administration Staff | Guideline Explorer | BioRegHub