On April 25, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) extended the deadline for the mandatory use of electronic common technical document (eCTD) format for type III Drug Master File (DMF) submissions by one year. eCTD format will now be required for type III DMF submissions beginning May 5, 2019.
Type II, type IV, and type V DMF submissions to FDA must be in eCTD format beginning May 5, 2018. Additionally, FDA recommends using eCTD format to file Type III DMF submissions despite the extension. eCTD submissions must be filed through FDA’s Electronic Submissions Gateway (ESG). The process to obtain access to ESG can take several weeks, so it is prudent for businesses to begin working toward compliance as soon as possible.
