EXPIRED
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The policies, guidelines, terms, and conditions stated in this announcement may differ from those used by the NIH. Where this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) provides specific written guidance that may differ from the general guidance provided in the grant application form, please follow the instructions given in this FOA.
The FDA does not follow the NIH Page Limitation Guidelines or the NIH Review Criteria. Applicants are encouraged to consult with FDA Agency Contacts for additional information regarding page limits and the FDA Objective Review Process.
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research/OPS/ONDQA (CDER)
Predictive in vitro Methods for Characterizing Product Performance, Case Study: Furosemide (U01)
U01 Research Project Cooperative Agreements
New
None
RFA-FD-14-080
Not Applicable
93.103
This project follows after earlier CDER research projects in which in vitro furosemide dissolution and/or solubility data were collected in various dissolution media such as simulated gastric and intestinal fluids. In two different studies with different approaches and dissolution testing apparatus, furosemide dissolution was higher in medium containing milk and baby formula than that in standard buffer medium.
This research project will explore additional methodology to characterize dissolution of furosemide (the model drug) in media containing milk, baby formula and Ensure Plus . The suitability of methods including the in vitro methods using dissolution media containing milk, baby formula and Ensure Plus for predicting in vivo performance of furosemide (a poorly soluble and poorly permeable drug), classified as BCS (Biopharmaceutic Classification System) Class IV drug will be explored and determined.
June 9, 2014
June 13, 2014
June 27, 2014
July 15, 2014, by 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.
Applicants should be aware that on-time submission means that an application is submitted error free (of both Grants.gov and eRA Commons errors) by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the application due date.
Not Applicable
August 2014
Not Applicable
September 2014
July 16, 2014
Not Applicable
Required Application Instructions
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.
Part 1. Overview Information
Part 2. Full Text of the Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission
Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information
The previously conducted exploratory in vitro studies showed the importance of assessing in vivo dissolution characteristics of poorly soluble drugs in dissolution media containing milk and baby formula. These studies support that solubility and potentially, the bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs such as furosemide (model drug) may be highly enhanced in the presence of milk or baby formula.
This project is for exploring and establishing in vitro predictive methods that are sensitive to and predictive of the feeding effect on solubility and dissolution of poorly soluble drugs in pediatric patients. The results from this work could also, lead to reassessment of furosemide dosing in neonates and infants, and possibly to additional studies and a change in the current dosing practice. It can also extend to reassessment of dosing in adult patients.
There are many publications on furosemide as it has been used as a model drug for poorly soluble and poorly permeable drug substances. This effort is for improving and/or developing novel in vitro methods that can help us to understand in vivo dissolution of furosemide, particularly, in pediatric patients. Leveraging the existing knowledge on furosemide and related in vitro approaches for developing in vitro and in vivo relationships/correlations are highly encouraged.
This project will allow exploring sensitivity and predictive value of in vitro methods and techniques by testing in vitro performance of furosemide (the model drug) in media containing milk, baby formula and Ensure Plus . This approach will also help to identify the methods that may be useful for understanding in vivo drug product performance of other poorly soluble and poorly permeable drug substances in special patient populations such as pediatrics.
Data and results obtained from this project will be publicly disseminated.
Developing and advancing in vitro predictive methods for assessing in vivo drug performance of poorly soluble and poorly permeable model drug in pediatric patients.
This research may lead to development of standard in vitro test(s) for predicting in vivo performance of drug products in pediatric patients and may complement pediatric formulation development efforts. Improving existing technology and/or developing novel methods that can link product quality attributes with in vivo product performance can provide a greater understanding of the impact of changes related to the product, the patient population and its use conditions. An outcome of such predictive methodology would be to ensure product quality for the targeted patient population.
A. Data generation
Recommendations for alternate techniques and methodology, based on existing data and knowledge, are highly encouraged. The following studies represent the basic framework for in vitro data generation.
In vitro simulated gastric and intestinal "Biorelevant (patented)" blank media with additional components such as milk, baby formula and Ensure Plus in 1:1 ratio will be used for in vitro dissolution testing of 20-mg furosemide tablets.
The dissolution testing apparatus will be: Modified USP Apparatus 1, 2 and 4. Modification will be in reduction of the volume of the dissolution test medium (such as to 40-mL, 80-mL and 120-mL). Historical compendial dissolution data with compendial methods will be used as available.
B. Method development and standardization (in vitro)
There is already some information on furosemide dissolution in media containing milk. Additional studies will explore the effects of varying pH range (pH 4 to 5.5) and the varying proportions and constituents of the non-compendial "biorelevant" dissolution media.
Established methods will be used for quantitation of furosemide in samples collected from the dissolution media and other media, as appropriate.
C. Sample and data analyses
Established methods will be used for quantitation of furosemide in samples collected from the dissolution media and other media, as appropriate.
Similarly, established data analyses tools and statistical methods will be utilized for biopharmaceutic comparisons, modeling and simulations as deemed appropriate.
The data collected from this research project and an in vivo furosemide study will be combined for further data analyses and for further testing of sensitivity and predictive ability of the studied in vitro methods.
Other statistical methods for correlations and trends will be explored as deemed appropriate for the collected data.
1. Dissolution method set-up for furosemide in multiple media and in vitro characterization of furosemide dissolution in "blank" simulated gastric and intestinal media containing 1:1 ratio of either milk or baby formula or Ensure Plus.
2. Compare data collected from the above methods, identify critical parameters and develop an input model that can be used subsequently in physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling. The parameters and the structure of the developed model (representing drug input) should allow incorporation of drug substance characteristics, and relevant patient information and in vivo conditions.
Cooperative Agreement: A support mechanism used when there will be substantial Federal scientific or programmatic involvement. Substantial involvement means that, after award, FDA scientific or program staff will assist, guide, coordinate, or participate in project activities.
New
The OER Glossary and the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide provide details on these application types.
The number of awards is contingent upon FDA appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.
FDA/CDER intends to fund up to one (1) award, corresponding up to $100,000 total costs (direct and indirect), for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014. Future year amounts will depend on annual appropriations, availability of funding and awardee performance.
This is a multi-year grant. FDA/CDER intends to fund up to $100,000 in total costs (direct and indirect) in Fiscal Year (FY) 2014. Awards are contingent upon the availability of funds.
Subject to the availability of Federal funds and successful performance of the FOA's stated goals and objectives, one (1) additional year of support may be available. Funding beyond the first year will be noncompetitive and will depend on (1) satisfactory performance during the preceding year and (2) the availability of Federal Fiscal Year funds.
Application budgets need to reflect the actual needs of the proposed project and should not exceed the following in total costs (direct and indirect):
Year 01: $100,000
Year 02: $50,000
The scope of the proposed project should determine the project period. The maximum project period is two (2) years.
FDA grants policies as described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made in response to this FOA.
Higher Education Institutions
The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for FDA support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:
Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education
For-Profit Organizations
Governments
Other
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are eligible to apply.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to
apply.
Foreign components, as defined in the
HHS Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
Applicant Organizations
Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. Failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission.
Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))
All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account. PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons. If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.
Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources
necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal
Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with his/her organization to
develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial
and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always
encouraged to apply for FDA support.
For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple
Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key
Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.
Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.
The FDA will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time. This means that the FDA will not accept:
In addition, the FDA will not accept a resubmission (A1) application that is submitted later than 12 months after submission of the new (A0) application that it follows. The FDA will accept submission:
Applicants must download the SF424 (R&R) application package associated with this funding opportunity using the Apply for Grant Electronically button in this FOA or following the directions provided at Grants.gov.
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, including Supplemental Grant Application Instructions except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.
For information on Application Submission and Receipt, visit Frequently Asked Questions Application Guide, Electronic Submission of Grant Applications.
Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows FDA/CDER staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.
By the date listed in Part 1. Overview Information, prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information:
The letter of intent should be sent via electronic mail as a Word or PDF file to Lisa Ko at [email protected] with RFA-FD-14-080 CDER Letter of Intent and the Institution's Name in the message subject heading.
All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed, with the following exceptions or additional requirements:
The following section supplements the instructions found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this FOA.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed with the following additional instructions:
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans (Data Sharing Plan, Sharing Model Organisms, and Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS)) as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following modification:
Appendix: Do not use the Appendix to circumvent page limits. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
When conducting clinical research, follow all instructions for completing Planned Enrollment Reports as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
When conducting clinical research, follow all instructions for completing Cumulative Inclusion Enrollment Report as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
Foreign (non-U.S.) institutions must follow policies described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement, and procedures for foreign institutions described throughout the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications before the due date to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission.
Organizations must submit applications to Grants.gov (the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies). Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, FDA’s electronic system for grants administration. eRA Commons and Grants.gov systems check the application against many of the application instructions upon submission. Errors must be corrected and a changed/corrected application must be submitted to Grants.gov on or before the application due date. If a Changed/Corrected application is submitted after the deadline, the application will be considered late. Late applications will not be accepted for this FOA.
Applicants are responsible for viewing their application before the due date in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.
Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.
All FDA awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.
Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.
No awardee or performance site institution may spend funds on human subject research or enroll subjects until documentation of IRB approval for the IRB of record is on file with the FDA grants management office.
Additional funding restrictions may be part of the Notice of Award.
Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. Paper applications will not be accepted.
Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.
For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit Applying Electronically.
Important
reminders:
All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the
Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile Component of the
SF424(R&R) Application Package. Failure to register in the Commons
and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent
the successful submission of an electronic application to FDA. See Section III of this FOA for information on
registration requirements.
The applicant organization must ensure that the DUNS number it provides on the
application is the same number used in the organization’s profile in the eRA
Commons and for the System for Award Management. Additional information may be
found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
See more
tips for avoiding common errors.
Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness by the Grants Office and responsiveness by components of participating organizations, FDA. Applications that are incomplete and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.
Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in NOT-OD-13-030.
Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process.
Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in the determination of scientific merit, and give a separate score for each.
1. The scientific expertise for developing and conducting the listed studies for achieving the project goals within the estimated project duration. (40 points)
2. Demonstration of past experience and effectiveness in completing projects similar to those described in this project. (30 points)
3. Demonstration of effectiveness in working with regulatory research partners and other appropriate organizations to implement the goals of the project. (20 points)
4. Demonstration of adequate program resources (including staff) and infrastructure, or the ability to obtain the resources necessary, to complete the project needs. (10 points)
As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, and in providing an overall composite score, but will not give separate scores for these items.
Protections for Human Subjects
For research that involves human subjects but does
not involve one of the six categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR
Part 46, the committee will evaluate the justification for involvement of human
subjects and the proposed protections from research risk relating to their
participation according to the following five review criteria: 1) risk to
subjects, 2) adequacy of protection against risks, 3) potential benefits to the
subjects and others, 4) importance of the knowledge to be gained, and 5) data
and safety monitoring for clinical trials.
For research that involves human subjects and meets the criteria for one or
more of the six categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46,
the committee will evaluate: 1) the justification for the exemption, 2) human
subjects involvement and characteristics, and 3) sources of materials. For
additional information on review of the Human Subjects section, please refer to
the Guidelines
for the Review of Human Subjects.
Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Children
When the proposed project involves human subjects and/or FDA defined clinical research, the committee will evaluate the proposed plans for the inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion (or exclusion) of children to determine if it is justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed. For additional information on review of the Inclusion section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Inclusion in Clinical Research.
Vertebrate Animals
The committee will evaluate the involvement of live vertebrate animals as part of the scientific assessment according to the following five points: 1) proposed use of the animals, and species, strains, ages, sex, and numbers to be used; 2) justifications for the use of animals and for the appropriateness of the species and numbers proposed; 3) adequacy of veterinary care; 4) procedures for limiting discomfort, distress, pain and injury to that which is unavoidable in the conduct of scientifically sound research including the use of analgesic, anesthetic, and tranquilizing drugs and/or comfortable restraining devices; and 5) methods of euthanasia and reason for selection if not consistent with the AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia. For additional information on review of the Vertebrate Animals section, please refer to the Worksheet for Review of the Vertebrate Animal Section.
Biohazards
Reviewers will assess whether materials or procedures proposed are potentially hazardous to research personnel and/or the environment, and if needed, determine whether adequate protection is proposed.
Resubmissions
Not Applicable
Renewals
Not Applicable
Revisions
Not Applicable
As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall composite score.
Applications from Foreign Organizations
Reviewers will assess whether the project presents special opportunities for furthering research programs through the use of unusual talent, resources, populations, or environmental conditions that exist in other countries and either are not readily available in the United States or augment existing U.S. resources.
Select Agent Research
Reviewers will assess the information provided in this section of the application, including 1) the Select Agent(s) to be used in the proposed research, 2) the registration status of all entities where Select Agent(s) will be used, 3) the procedures that will be used to monitor possession use and transfer of Select Agent(s), and 4) plans for appropriate biosafety, biocontainment, and security of the Select Agent(s).
Resource Sharing Plans
Reviewers will comment on whether the following Resource Sharing Plans, or the rationale for not sharing the following types of resources, are reasonable: 1) Data Sharing Plan; 2) Sharing Model Organisms; and 3) Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS).
Budget and Period of Support
Reviewers will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research.
Applications determined to be complete and responsive will undergo an objective review process. An objective review panel will evaluate complete and responsive applications, using the stated review criteria.
As part of the objective review, all applications:
Appeals of objective review will not be accepted for applications submitted in response to this FOA.
Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this FOA. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.
If the application is under consideration for funding, FDA will
request "just-in-time" information from the applicant as described in
the HHS Grants
Policy Statement.
A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided
to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA signed by
the grants management officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via
email to the grantee’s business official.
Awardees must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.5. Funding Restrictions. Selection
of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any
costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. These
costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs.
Any application awarded in response to this FOA will be subject to terms and
conditions found in the HHS Grants Policy
Statement.
All FDA grant and cooperative agreement awards include the HHS Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA.
Additional terms and conditions regarding FDA/CDER regulatory and Programmatic requirements may be part of the Notice of Award.
The following special terms of award are in addition to, and not in lieu of, otherwise applicable U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) administrative guidelines, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) grant administration regulations at 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92 (Part 92 is applicable when State and local Governments are eligible to apply), and other HHS, PHS, and FDA grant administration policies.
The administrative and funding instrument used for this program will be the cooperative agreement, an "assistance" mechanism (rather than an "acquisition" mechanism), in which substantial FDA programmatic involvement with the awardees is anticipated during the performance of the activities. Under the cooperative agreement, the FDA purpose is to support and stimulate the recipients' activities by involvement in and otherwise working jointly with the award recipients in a partnership role; it is not to assume direction, prime responsibility, or a dominant role in the activities. Consistent with this concept, the dominant role and prime responsibility resides with the awardees for the project as a whole, although specific tasks and activities may be shared among the awardees and the FDA as defined below.
The PD(s)/PI(s) will have the primary responsibility for:
FDA staff will have substantial programmatic involvement that is above and beyond the normal stewardship role in awards, as described below:
Joint Responsibilities:
a. FDA will have prior approval of the appointment of all key administrative
and scientific personnel proposed by the grantee.
b. FDA will be directly involved in the guidance and development of the
program.
c. The FDA Program Official will participate, with the grantee, in determining
and carrying out scientific and technical activities as described above.
When multiple years are involved, awardees will be required to submit the annual Non-Competing Progress Report (PHS 2590 or RPPR) and financial statements as required in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.
A final progress report, invention statement, and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are required for closeout of an award, as described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.
The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for awardees of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All awardees of applicable FDA grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over $25,000. See the HHS Grants Policy Statement for additional information on this reporting requirement.
We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.
eRA Commons Help Desk (Questions regarding eRA Commons
registration, submitting and tracking an application, documenting system
problems that threaten submission by the due date, post submission issues)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)
Finding Help Online: http://grants.nih.gov/support/index.html
Email: [email protected]
Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions
regarding Grants.gov registration and submission, downloading forms and application
packages)
Contact CenterTelephone: 800-518-4726
Web ticketing system: https://grants-portal.psc.gov/ContactUs.aspx
Email: [email protected]
Arzu Selen, Ph.D.
FDA/CDER/OPS/Office of New Dug Quality Assessment (ONDQA)
Telephone: 301-796 1603
Email: [email protected]
David Morley
FDA/CDER/OPS/Office of New Dug Quality Assessment (ONDQA)
Telephone: 301-796-1719
Email: [email protected]
Lisa Ko
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Office of Acquisition & Grants Services (OAGS)
Telephone: 240-402-7592
Email: [email protected]
Lisa Ko
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Office of Acquisition & Grants Services (OAGS)
Telephone: 240-402-7592
Email: [email protected]
All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.
Awards are made under the authorization of Section 301 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92.
Consistent with the property management requirements of 45 CFR Sections 74.36 and 92.34, FDA/CDER reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable right to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use work that was developed for Federal purposes, and to authorize others to do so.