iJust five days before the September 30, 2017 registration deadline for U.S. manufacturing establishments, on Tuesday, September 26, 2017, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, tweeted that due to "website connectivity problems" with the FDA Unified Registration and Listing System (FURLS), FDA would be "implementing a short term extension to allow firms to register". On September 28, 2017, FDA officially announced via e-mail that it was revising its guidance once again to extend the Registration and Product Listing deadline for U.S. manufacturing establishments to October 12, 2017. This applies to U.S. manufacturers of deemed products on the market as of August 8, 2016, but of course does not apply to foreign manufacturing establishments or U.S. importers, distributors or retailers not engaged in manufacturing, packaging or labeling activities.
FDA also indicated that if you continue to have technical issues with FURLS you should send an email to CTPRegistrationandListing@fda.hhs.gov with "IT Questions" in the subject line. In the body of the email provide:
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Name of the Owner or Operator of the establishment;
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Name and Address of the establishment;
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Contact phone number; and
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The best time for FDA to call the contact.
If IT issues prevent you from completing your registration and product listing by October 12, 2017 let FDA know as soon as possible so that they can work with you to address any technical problems.
FDA also recently issued a separate alert noting that establishments affected by Hurricanes Harvey or Irma may also be eligible for a separate extension, determined on a case-by-case basis. If you would like to be considered for such an extension, send an email with the information bulleted above to CTPRegistrationandListing@fda.hhs.gov and the subject line "Natural Disaster". We also recommend providing a brief description of how the recent natural disasters have impacted your ability to register on time.
On September 15, 2017 FDA published a Revised Guidance for Industry on Registration and Product Listing for Owners and Operators of Domestic Tobacco Product Establishments. Analysis of this revised Guidance, including a summary of how to register and who must register can be found in a previous Client Alert.
