(a)(1) Informed medical opinion is in agreement that all preparations offered or intended for ophthalmic use, including contact lens solutions, should be sterile. It is further evident that such preparations purport to be of such purity and quality as to be suitable for safe use in the eye.

(2) The Food and Drug Administration concludes that all such preparations, if they are not sterile, fall below their professed standard of purity or quality and may be unsafe. In a statement of policy issued on September 1, 1964, the Food and Drug Administration ruled that liquid preparations offered or intended for ophthalmic use that are not sterile may be regarded as adulterated within the meaning of section 501(c) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the act), and, further, may be deemed misbranded within the meaning of section 502(j) of the act. By this regulation, this ruling is applicable to all preparations for ophthalmic use that are regulated as medical devices, i.e., contact lens solutions. By the regulation in § 200.50 of this chapter, this ruling is applicable to ophthalmic preparations that are regulated as drugs.

(3) The containers shall be sterile at the time of filling and closing, and the container or individual carton shall be so sealed that the contents cannot be used without destroying the seal. The packaging and labeling of these solutions shall also comply with § 800.12 on tamper-resistant packaging requirements.

(b) Liquid ophthalmic preparations packed in multiple-dose containers should:

(1) Contain one or more suitable and harmless substances that will inhibit the growth of microorganisms; or

(2) Be so packaged as to volume and type of container and so labeled as to duration of use and with such necessary warnings as to afford adequate protection and minimize the hazard of injury resulting from contamination during use.

(c) Eye cups, eye droppers, and other dispensers intended for ophthalmic use should be sterile, and may be regarded as falling below their professed standard of purity or quality if they are not sterile. These articles, which are regulated as medical devices unless packaged with the drugs with which they are to be used, should be packaged so as to maintain sterility until the package is opened and be labeled, on or within the retail package, so as to afford adequate directions and necessary warnings to minimize the hazard of injury resulting from contamination during use.

(a) General. Unless contact lens solutions used, for example, to clean, disinfect, wet, lubricate, rinse, soak, or store contact lenses and salt tablets or other dosage forms to be used to make any such solutions are packaged in tamper-resistant retail packages, there is the opportunity for the malicious adulteration of these products with risks both to individuals who unknowingly purchase adulterated products and with loss of consumer confidence in the security of the packages of over-the-counter (OTC) health care products. The Food and Drug Administration has the authority and responsibility under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the act) to establish a uniform national standard for tamper-resistant packaging of those OTC products vulnerable to malicious adulteration that will improve the security of OTC packaging and help assure the safety and effectiveness of the products contained therein. A contact lens solution or tablet or other dosage form to be used to make such a solution for retail sale that is not packaged in a tamper-resistant package and labeled in accordance with this section is adulterated under section 501 of the act or misbranded under section 502 of the act, or both.

(b) Requirement for tamper-resistant package. Each manufacturer and packer who packages for retail sale a product regulated as a medical device that is a solution intended for use with contact lenses, e.g., for cleaning, disinfecting, wetting, lubricating, rinsing, soaking, or storing contact lenses or tablets or other dosage forms to be used to make any such solution shall package the product in a tamper-resistant package, if this product is accessible to the public while held for sale. A tamper-resistant package is one having an indicator or barrier to entry which, if breached or missing, can reasonably be expected to provide visible evidence to consumers that tampering has occurred. To reduce the likelihood of substitution of a tamper-resistant feature after tampering, the indicator or barrier to entry is required to be distinctive by design or by the use of an identifying characteristic (e.g., a pattern, name, registered trademark, logo, or picture). For purposes of this section, the term “distinctive by design” means the package cannot be duplicated with commonly available material or through commonly available processes. A tamper-resistant package may involve an immediate-container and closure system or secondary-container or carton system or any combination of systems intended to provide a visual indication of package integrity. The tamper-resistant feature shall be designed to and shall remain intact when handled in a reasonable manner during manufacture, distribution, and retail display.

(c) Labeling. Each retail package of a product covered by this section is required to bear a statement that is prominently placed so that consumers are alerted to the tamper-resistant feature of the package. The labeling statement is also required to be so placed that it will be unaffected if the tamper-resistant feature of the package is breached or missing. If the tamper-resistant feature chosen to meet the requirement in paragraph (b) of this section is one that uses an identifying characteristic, that characteristic is required to be referred to in the labeling statement. For example, the labeling statement on a bottle with a shrink band could say “For your protection, this bottle has an imprinted seal around the neck.”

(d) Requests for exemptions from packaging and labeling requirements. A manufacturer or packer may request an exemption from the packaging and labeling requirements of this section. A request for an exemption is required to be submitted in the form of a citizen petition under § 10.30 of this chapter and should be clearly identified on the envelope as a “Request for Exemption from Tamper-resistant Rule.” A petition for an exemption from a requirement of this section is required to contain the same kind of information about the product as is specified for OTC drugs in § 211.132(d) of this chapter.

(e) Products subject to approved premarket approval applications. Holders of approved premarket approval applications for products subject to this section are required to submit supplements to provide for changes in packaging to comply with the requirement of paragraph (b) of this section unless these changes do not affect the composition of the container, the torque (tightness) of the container, or the composition of the closure component in contact with the contents (cap liner or innerseal) as these features are described in the approved premarket approval application. Any supplemental premarket approval application under this paragraph is required to include data sufficient to show that these changes do not adversely affect the product.

(f) Effective date. Each product subject to this section is required to comply with the requirements of this section on the dates listed below except to the extent that a product's manufacturer or packer has obtained an exemption from a packaging or labeling requirement:

(1) Initial effective date for packaging requirements. (i) The packaging requirement in paragraph (b) of this section is effective on February 7, 1983 for each contact lens solution packaged for retail sale on or after that date, except for the requirement in paragraph (b) of this section for a distinctive indicator or barrier to entry.

(ii) The packaging requirement in paragraph (b) of this section is effective on May 5, 1983 for each tablet that is to be used to make a contact lens solution and that is packaged for retail sale on or after that date.

(2) Initial effective date for labeling requirements. The requirement in paragraph (b) of this section that the indicator or barrier to entry be distinctive by design and the requirement in paragraph (c) of this section for a labeling statement are effective on May 5, 1983 for each product subject to this section packaged for retail sale on or after that date, except that the requirement for a specific label reference to any identifying characteristic is effective on February 6, 1984 for each affected product subject to this section packaged for retail sale on or after that date.

(3) Retail level effective date. The tamper-resistant packaging requirement of paragraph (b) of this section is effective on February 6, 1984 for each product subject to this section that is held for sale at retail level on or after that date that was packaged for retail sale before May 5, 1983. This does not include the requirement in paragraph (b) of this section that the indicator or barrier to entry be distinctive by design. Products packaged for retail sale after May 5, 1983, are required to be in compliance with all aspects of the regulations without regard to the retail level effective date.

(a) Purpose. The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), and its risk of transmission in the health care context, have caused the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to look more closely at the quality control of barrier devices, such as surgeons' gloves and patient examination gloves (collectively known as medical gloves) to reduce the risk of transmission of HIV and other blood-borne infectious diseases. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend that health care workers wear medical gloves to reduce the risk of transmission of HIV and other blood-borne infectious deseases. The CDC recommends that health care workers wear medical gloves when touching blood or other body fluids, mucous membranes, or nonintact skin of all patients; when handling items or surfaces soiled with blood or other body fluids; and when performing venipuncture and other vascular access procedures. Among other things, CDC's recommendation that health care providers wear medical gloves demonstrates the proposition that devices labeled as medical gloves purport to be and are represented to be effective barriers against the transmission of blood- and fluid-borne pathogens. Therefore, FDA, through this regulation, is defining adulteration for patient examination and surgeons' gloves as a means of assuring safe and effective devices.

(1) For a description of a patient examination glove, see § 880.6250. Finger cots, however, are excluded from the test method and sample plans in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section.

(2) For a description of a surgeons' glove, see § 878.4460 of this chapter.

(b)(1) General test method. For the purposes of this part, FDA's analysis of gloves for leaks and visual defects will be conducted by a visual examination and by a water leak test method, using 1,000 milliliters (ml) of water.

(i) Units examined. Each medical glove will be analyzed independently. When packaged as pairs, each glove is considered separately, and both gloves will be analyzed.

(ii) Identification of defects. For this test, defects include leaks detected when tested in accordance with paragraph (b)(3) of this section. A leak is defined as the appearance of water on the outside of the glove. This emergence of water from the glove constitutes a watertight barrier failure. Other defects include tears, embedded foreign objects, extrusions of glove material on the exterior or interior surface of the glove, gloves that are fused together so that individual glove separation is impossible, gloves that adhere to each other and tear when separated, or other visual defects that are likely to affect the barrier integrity.

(iii) Factors for counting defects. One defect in one glove is counted as one defect. A defect in both gloves in a pair of gloves is counted as two defects. If multiple defects, as defined in paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section, are found in one glove, they are counted as one defect. Visual defects and leaks that are observed in the top 40 millimeters (mm) of a glove will not be counted as a defect for the purposes of this part.

(2) Leak test materials. FDA considers the following to be the minimum materials required for this test :

(i) A 60 mm by 380 mm (clear) plastic cylinder with a hook on one end and a mark scored 40 mm from the other end (a cylinder of another size may be used if it accommodates both cuff diameter and any water above the glove capacity);

(ii) Elastic strapping with velcro or other fastening material;

(iii) Automatic water-dispensing apparatus or manual device capable of delivering 1,000 ml of water;

(iv) Stand with horizontal rod for hanging the hook end of the plastic tube. The horizontal support rod must be capable of holding the weight of the total number of gloves that will be suspended at any one time, e.g., five gloves suspended will weigh about 5 kilograms (kg);

(v) Timer capable of measuring two minute intervals.

(3) Visual defects and leak test procedures. Examine the sample and identify code/lot number, size, and brand as appropriate. Continue the visual examination using the following procedures:

(i) Visual defects examination. Inspect the gloves for visual defects by carefully removing the glove from the wrapper, box, or package. Visually examine each glove for defects. As noted in paragraph (b)(1)(iii) of this section, a visual defect observed in the top 40 mm of a glove will not be counted as a defect for the purpose of this part. Visually defective gloves do not require further testing, although they must be included in the total number of defective gloves counted for the sample.

(ii) Leak test set-up. (A) During this procedure, ensure that the exterior of the glove remains dry. Attach the glove to the plastic fill tube by bringing the cuff end to the 40 mm mark and fastening with elastic strapping to make a watertight seal.

(B) Add 1,000 ml of room temperature water (i.e., 20 (deg)C to 30 (deg)C) into the open end of the fill tube. The water should pass freely into the glove. (With some larger sizes of long-cuffed surgeons' gloves, the water level may reach only the base of the thumb. With some smaller gloves, the water level may extend several inches up the fill tube.)

(iii) Leak test examination. Immediately after adding the water, examine the glove for water leaks. Do not squeeze the glove; use only minimum manipulation to spread the fingers to check for leaks. Water drops may be blotted to confirm leaking.

(A) If the glove does not leak immediately, keep the glove/filling tube assembly upright and hang the assembly vertically from the horizontal rod, using the wire hook on the open end of the fill tube (do not support the filled glove while transferring).

(B) Make a second observation for leaks 2 minutes after the water is added to the glove. Use only minimum manipulation of the fingers to check for leaks.

(C) Record the number of defective gloves.

(c) Sampling, inspection, acceptance, and adulteration. In performing the test for leaks and other visual defects described in paragraph (b) of this section, FDA will collect and inspect samples of medical gloves, and determine when the gloves are acceptable as set out in paragraphs (c)(1) through (c)(3) of this section.

(1) Sample plans. FDA will collect samples from lots of medical gloves in accordance with agency sampling plans. These plans are based on sample sizes, levels of sample inspection, and acceptable quality levels (AQLs) found in the International Standard Organization's standard ISO 2859, “Sampling Procedures For Inspection By Attributes.”

(2) Sample sizes, inspection levels, and minimum AQLs. FDA will use single normal sampling for lots of 1,200 gloves or less and multiple normal sampling for all larger lots. FDA will use general inspection level II in determining the sample size for any lot size. As shown in the tables following paragraph (c)(3) of this section, FDA considers a 1.5 AQL to be the minimum level of quality acceptable for surgeons' gloves and a 2.5 AQL to be the minimum level of quality acceptable for patient examination gloves.

(3) Adulteration levels and accept/reject criteria. FDA considers a lot of medical gloves to be adulterated when the number of defective gloves found in the tested sample meets or exceeds the applicable rejection number at the 1.5 AQL for surgeons' gloves or the 2.5 AQL for patient examination gloves. These acceptance and rejection numbers are identified in the tables following paragraph (c)(3) of this section as follows:

(d) Compliance. Lots of gloves that are sampled, tested, and rejected using procedures in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, are considered adulterated within the meaning of section 501(c) of the act.

(1) Detention and seizure. Lots of gloves that are adulterated under section 501(c) of the act are subject to administrative and judicial action, such as detention of imported products and seizure of domestic products.

(2) Reconditioning. FDA may authorize the owner of the product, or the owner's representative, to attempt to recondition, i.e., bring into compliance with the act, a lot or part of a lot of foreign gloves detained at importation, or a lot or part of a lot of seized domestic gloves.

(i) Modified sampling, inspection, and acceptance. If FDA authorizes reconditioning of a lot or portion of a lot of adulterated gloves, testing to confirm that the reconditioned gloves meet AQLs must be performed by an independent testing facility. The following tightened sampling plan must be followed, as described in ISO 2859 “Sampling Procedures for Inspection by Attributes:”

(A) General inspection level II,

(B) Single sampling plans for tightened inspection,

(C) 1.5 AQL for surgeons' gloves, and

(D) 2.5 AQL for patient examination gloves.

(ii) Adulteration levels and acceptance criteria for reconditioned gloves. (A) FDA considers a lot or part of a lot of adulterated gloves, that is reconditioned in accordance with paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this section, to be acceptable when the number of defective gloves found in the tested sample does not exceed the acceptance number in the appropriate tables in paragraph (d)(2)(ii)(B) of this section for reconditioned surgeons' gloves or patient examination gloves.

(B) FDA considers a reconditioned lot of medical gloves to be adulterated within the meaning of section 501(c) of the act when the number of defective gloves found in the tested sample meets or exceeds the applicable rejection number in the tables following paragraph (d)(2)(ii)(B) of this section: