If you have questions about submitting a 506J notification, we recommend that you either consult FDA’s website, Contact the FDA About a Medical Device Supply Chain Issue, or contact the Agency at [email protected] and include “Question” in the subject line of the email.

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FDA plays a critical role in protecting the United States from threats such as emerging infectious diseases, including the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. FDA is committed to providing timely guidance to support response efforts to this pandemic.

FDA is issuing this guidance to implement section 506J of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) (21 U.S.C. 356j), as added by section 3121 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), as it relates to device shortages and potential device shortages occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic, for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Section 506J of the FD&C Act requires manufacturers to notify the Secretary of a permanent discontinuance in the manufacture of certain devices or an interruption in the manufacture of certain devices that is likely to lead to a meaningful disruption in supply of that device in the United States. This guidance is intended to assist manufacturers in providing timely, informative notifications about changes in the production of certain medical device products that will help prevent or mitigate shortages of such devices during the COVID-19 public health emergency. This guidance also recommends that manufacturers voluntarily provide additional details to better ensure FDA has the specific information it needs to help prevent or mitigate shortages during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

This policy is intended to remain in effect only for the duration of the public health emergency related to COVID-19 declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) on January 31, 2020, effective January 27, 2020, including any renewals made by the HHS Secretary in accordance with section 319(a)(2) of the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act) (42 U.S.C. 247d(a)(2)).

Given this public health emergency, and as discussed in the Notice in the Federal Register of March 25, 2020, titled "Process for Making Available Guidance Documents Related to Coronavirus Disease 2019," this guidance is being implemented without prior public comment because FDA has determined that prior public participation for this guidance is not feasible or appropriate (see section 701(h)(1)(C) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) (21 U.S.C. 371(h)(1)(C)) and 21 CFR 10.115(g)(2)). This guidance document is being implemented immediately, but it remains subject to comment in accordance with the Agency's good guidance practices.