Notice2026-09023
Patient-Matched Guides for Orthopedic Implants; Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; Availability
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
May 7, 2026
Issuing agencies
Health and Human Services DepartmentFood and Drug Administration
Abstract
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing the availability of a final guidance titled "Patient-Matched Guides for Orthopedic Implants." This guidance document provides recommendations regarding information that should be included in regulatory submissions for patient-matched guides for orthopedic implants. This guidance also provides recommendations that manufacturers should consider when developing their design process for these device types. This guidance is intended to promote clarity and transparency as to expectations regarding submission recommendations for orthopedic patient-matched guides. Following such recommendations may increase efficiency and consistency in review.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 88 (Thursday, May 7, 2026)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 88 (Thursday, May 7, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24876-24878]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-09023]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Food and Drug Administration
[Docket No. FDA-2023-D-2370]
Patient-Matched Guides for Orthopedic Implants; Guidance for
Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; Availability
AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing
the availability of a final guidance titled ``Patient-Matched Guides
for Orthopedic Implants.'' This guidance document provides
recommendations regarding information that should be included in
regulatory submissions for patient-matched guides for orthopedic
implants. This guidance also provides recommendations that
manufacturers should consider when developing their design process for
these device types. This guidance is intended to promote clarity and
transparency as to expectations regarding submission recommendations
for orthopedic patient-matched guides. Following such recommendations
may increase efficiency and consistency in review.
[[Page 24877]]
DATES: The announcement of the guidance is published in the Federal
Register on May 7, 2026.
ADDRESSES: You may submit either electronic or written comments on
Agency guidances at any time as follows:
Electronic Submissions
Submit electronic comments in the following way:
<bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Comments submitted
electronically, including attachments, to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>
will be posted to the docket unchanged. Because your comment will be
made public, you are solely responsible for ensuring that your comment
does not include any confidential information that you or a third party
may not wish to be posted, such as medical information, your or anyone
else's Social Security number, or confidential business information,
such as a manufacturing process. Please note that if you include your
name, contact information, or other information that identifies you in
the body of your comments, that information will be posted on <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
<bullet> If you want to submit a comment with confidential
information that you do not wish to be made available to the public,
submit the comment as a written/paper submission and in the manner
detailed (see ``Written/Paper Submissions'' and ``Instructions'').
Written/Paper Submissions
Submit written/paper submissions as follows:
<bullet> Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier (for written/paper
submissions): Dockets Management Staff (HFA-305), Food and Drug
Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.
<bullet> For written/paper comments submitted to the Dockets
Management Staff, FDA will post your comment, as well as any
attachments, except for information submitted, marked and identified,
as confidential, if submitted as detailed in ``Instructions.''
Instructions: All submissions received must include the Docket No.
FDA-2023-D-2370 for ``Patient-Matched Guides for Orthopedic Implants.''
Received comments will be placed in the docket and, except for those
submitted as ``Confidential Submissions,'' publicly viewable at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> or at the Dockets Management Staff between 9 a.m.
and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, 240-402-7500.
<bullet> Confidential Submissions--To submit a comment with
confidential information that you do not wish to be made publicly
available, submit your comments only as a written/paper submission. You
should submit two copies total. One copy will include the information
you claim to be confidential with a heading or cover note that states
``THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.'' The Agency will
review this copy, including the claimed confidential information, in
its consideration of comments. The second copy, which will have the
claimed confidential information redacted/blacked out, will be
available for public viewing and posted on <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
Submit both copies to the Dockets Management Staff. If you do not wish
your name and contact information to be made publicly available, you
can provide this information on the cover sheet and not in the body of
your comments and you must identify this information as
``confidential.'' Any information marked as ``confidential'' will not
be disclosed except in accordance with 21 CFR 10.20 and other
applicable disclosure law. For more information about FDA's posting of
comments to public dockets, see 80 FR 56469, September 18, 2015, or
access the information at: <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2015-09-18/pdf/2015-23389.pdf">https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2015-09-18/pdf/2015-23389.pdf</a>.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
the electronic and written/paper comments received, go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> and insert the docket number, found in brackets in
the heading of this document, into the ``Search'' box and follow the
prompts and/or go to the Dockets Management Staff, 5630 Fishers Lane,
Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852, 240-402-7500.
You may submit comments on any guidance at any time (see 21 CFR
10.115(g)(5)).
An electronic copy of the guidance document is available for
download from the internet. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section
for information on electronic access to the guidance. Submit written
requests for a single hard copy of the guidance document titled
``Patient-Matched Guides for Orthopedic Implants'' to the Office of
Policy, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug
Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 66, Rm. 5441, Silver
Spring, MD 20993-0002. Send one self-addressed adhesive label to assist
that office in processing your request.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michel Janda, Center for Devices and
Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire
Ave., Bldg. 66, Rm. 4428, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, 301-796-6395.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
FDA is announcing the availability of a guidance for industry and
FDA staff titled ``Patient-Matched Guides for Orthopedic Implants.''
FDA has developed this guidance document for members of industry who
submit and FDA staff who review premarket submissions for patient-
matched guides for orthopedic implants. Patient-matched guides are
intended to assist in the execution of a pre-surgical plan concurred
upon by the patient's healthcare professional to position an orthopedic
implant in a way consistent with the implant's indicated use. This
guidance is intended to promote clarity and transparency as to
expectations regarding submission recommendations for orthopedic
patient-matched guides. Following such recommendations may increase
efficiency and consistency in review. Additionally, this guidance
provides recommended best practices regarding certain elements of the
design process.
This guidance was part of the 2015 initiative to incorporate
stakeholder feedback during guidance development (80 FR 1424, January
9, 2015) available at <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2015/01/09/2015-00115/medical-device-user-fee-and-modernization-act-notice-to-public-of-website-location-of-fiscal-year">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2015/01/09/2015-00115/medical-device-user-fee-and-modernization-act-notice-to-public-of-website-location-of-fiscal-year</a>. Specific questions were
posed to solicit input into the context of the guidance and comments
were collected through Docket No. FDA-2012-N-1021.
A notice of availability of the draft guidance appeared in the
Federal Register of June 28, 2023 (88 FR 41967). FDA considered
comments received and revised the guidance as appropriate in response
to the comments, including clarification of recommendations that are
technical in nature (e.g., device description, cadaveric testing), as
well as clarification of certain modifications that FDA would consider
likely to require submission of a new 510(k) submission.
This guidance is being issued consistent with FDA's good guidance
practices regulation (21 CFR 10.115). The guidance represents the
current thinking of FDA on ``Patient-Matched Guides for Orthopedic
Implants.'' It does not establish any rights for any person and is not
binding on FDA or the public. You can use an alternative approach if it
satisfies the requirements of the applicable statutes and regulations.
[[Page 24878]]
II. Electronic Access
Persons interested in obtaining a copy of the guidance may do so by
downloading an electronic copy from the internet. A search capability
for all Center for Devices and Radiological Health guidance documents
is available at <a href="https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/device-advice-comprehensive-regulatory-assistance/guidance-documents-medical-devices-and-radiation-emitting-products">https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/device-advice-comprehensive-regulatory-assistance/guidance-documents-medical-devices-and-radiation-emitting-products</a>. This guidance document is also
available at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> or <a href="https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents">https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents</a>. Persons unable to
download an electronic copy of ``Patient-Matched Guides for Orthopedic
Implants'' may send an email request to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#80c3c4d2c8adc7f5e9e4e1eee3e5c0e6e4e1aee8e8f3aee7eff6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d69592849efb91a3bfb2b7b8b5b396b0b2b7f8bebea5f8b1b9a0">[email protected]</span></a> to
receive an electronic copy of the document. Please use the document
number GUI01400006 and complete title to identify the guidance you are
requesting.
III. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
While this guidance contains no new collection of information, it
does refer to previously approved FDA collections of information. The
previously approved collections of information are subject to review by
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521). The collections of information
in the following table have been approved by OMB:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
21 CFR part Topic OMB Control No.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
807, subpart E................ Premarket 0910-0120
notification.
820........................... Current Good 0910-0073
Manufacturing
Practice (CGMP);
Quality Management
Systems Regulation
(QMSR).
812........................... Investigational 0910-0078
Device Exemption.
814, subparts A through E..... Premarket approval... 0910-0231
800, 801, and 809............. Medical Device 0910-0485
Labeling Regulations.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grace R. Graham,
Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Legislation, and International Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2026-09023 Filed 5-6-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4164-01-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on May 7, 2026.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.