Title 21 › Chapter 9— FEDERAL FOOD, DRUG, AND COSMETIC ACT › Subchapter V— DRUGS AND DEVICES › Part E— General Provisions Relating to Drugs and Devices › § 360bbb–4b
Allows a person to give a set of data and documents called a master file to the Secretary so other companies can cite that material when they seek approval, clearance, or emergency use of medical countermeasures, without forcing the file owner to hand over the full contents to those companies. If the master file was used only to help get a conditional approval, any later application relying on that file must add more data so the product can be reviewed under the usual approval standards. The master file can cover both product development and how the product is made, and the Secretary can require the file be kept up to date while it is being relied on. The master file must be described so the Secretary can review it electronically without re‑submitting the same documents. A sponsor who is also the master file owner must tell the Secretary in writing if they plan to reference the file. The Secretary will notify the master file owner in writing when the agency relied on specific master file material to support an approval or authorization, and may allow that material to be reused in other applications on request. If the material helped a conditional approval, the Secretary will give a brief written note about what parts of the application the master file satisfied, without revealing trade secrets. Definitions: master file holder — the person who submits a master file; medical countermeasure submission — the kinds of drug, biologic, animal drug, device, or emergency use applications listed in the statute; the terms qualified countermeasure, security countermeasure, and qualified pandemic or epidemic product — have the meanings given in sections 319F–1, 319F–2, and 319F–3 of the Public Health Service Act.
Full Legal Text
Food and Drugs, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
21 U.S.C. § 360bbb–4b
Title 21, Food and Drugs
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60