Symbol of Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Symbol of the Government of Canada
Skip to content | Skip to institutional links

Common menu bar links

Breadcrumb

Home > Animals > Veterinary Biologics > Guidelines / Forms > 3.1E

Institutional links

 E-mail  Twitter  Facebook  Delicious  Google
 Digg  StumbleUpon  Reddit  Newsvine  Technorati

Veterinary Biologics Guideline 3.1-3
Guidance for Preparation of New Product Licensing (Registration) Submissions for Veterinary Biologics Manufactured in Foreign Countries Other Than the United States

Table of Contents

I. Introduction

The purpose of this guideline is to provide information to foreign veterinary biologics (VB) manufacturers outside of the United States (U.S.) regarding the preparation and submission of documents for the licensing (registration) of VB in Canada. The Canadian Centre for Veterinary Biologics (CCVB) of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is responsible for licensing VB, including veterinary vaccines, colostrum, antibody products and test kits for the diagnosis of infectious diseases, manufactured and/or distributed in Canada under the legal authority of the Health of Animals Act and the Health of Animals Regulations.

The related New Product Submission Checklist, as well as the appropriate Veterinary Biologics Guidelines, should be consulted when preparing a new product submission (NPS) for licensing a VB in Canada.

The CFIA is subject to Canadian legislation, including the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, as well as administrative procedures and court orders. The CFIA will treat all information received from VB manufacturers and importers, including confidential proprietary business information, in accordance with such legislation, administrative procedures and court orders.

A NPS should be submitted to the CCVB after the licensing process is complete in the country of manufacture. All documents pertinent to product licensing must be submitted at the same time. All documents, including study reports, the Outline of Production (OP), special outlines (SO) and labels must be reviewed and approved by the CCVB prior to the product licensing.

The Canadian veterinary biologics regulations and/or guidance may be modified or updated periodically to reflect changes in technical standards or developments in the international harmonization of regulatory requirements for veterinary biologics. Manufacturers and importers are, therefore, encouraged to consult Veterinary Biologics Guideline 3.4E: Guideline for Pre-Submission Consultation Meetings and Advance Notification of New Product Licensing Submissions prior to preparing a NPS, to assist in determining whether or not a pre-submission meeting or teleconference with the CCVB will be necessary.

II. Legal Authority

Health of Animals Act

Health of Animals Regulations, Part XI

III. Definitions

"Veterinary biologic" means:

  1. a helminth, protozoa or micro-organism;
  2. a substance or mixture of substances derived from animals, helminths, protozoa or micro-organisms; or
  3. a substance of synthetic origin

that is manufactured, sold or represented for use in restoring, correcting or modifying organic functions in animals or for use in the diagnosis, treatment, mitigation or prevention of a disease, disorder or abnormal physical state, or the symptoms thereof, in animals (section 2, Health of Animals Act).

VB include vaccines, bacterins, bacterin-toxoids, colostrum, antibody products and test kits for the diagnosis of infectious diseases in animals.

"Licensing" or "Registration" means regulatory approval from the CCVB to manufacture, distribute and/or sell VB in Canada.

IV. General Guidance

A. General Criteria for Product Acceptability

  1. The product must be pure, safe, potent and efficacious.
  2. The product must be licensed by, or have the approval of, the regulatory authorities in the country of manufacture.
  3. Each biologically active component must be relevant to infectious animal disease conditions and animal genetics in Canada.
  4. The product must be manufactured in a facility acceptable to the CCVB.
  5. The product must be produced and tested in accordance with generally accepted good manufacturing practices and quality assurance standards.

B. Reasons to Refuse Importation of a Product in Canada

  1. Products containing components originating from countries where foot-and-mouth disease, rinderpest, African swine fever, African horse sickness, and other diseases foreign to Canada are endemic.
  2. Products for the prevention or diagnosis of diseases which are under a CFIA control or eradication program or for use against animal diseases foreign to Canada, such as hog cholera, bluetongue, vesicular stomatitis, and pseudorabies. Some exceptions may be granted if deemed in the best interest of the success of the control or eradication program.
  3. Products which may not be in the best interest of, or which may be contrary to, public health control or survey programs, such as live Brucella species vaccine in calves.
  4. Modified live products which have residual virulence, such as virulent strains of infectious laryngotracheitis virus or virulent Newcastle disease virus.
  5. Products which may have previously been imported into Canada, but which for a variety of reasons, are no longer considered suitable or desirable.

C. General Considerations Concerning a New Product Submission

  1. New product submissions for imported products must be complete, and when applicable, regulatory approval must have been received in the country of manufacture, before the NPS will be considered for evaluation.
  2. A completed New Product Submission Checklist must accompany each NPS.
  3. Each NPS must include a brief justification for use of the veterinary biologic in Canada. Statements must be supported by scientific references and/or opinions expressed by professional associations, or a written statement prepared by the manufacturer. Rationales should be submitted on company letterhead, dated and signed by the person preparing the rationale.
  4. All required documents for the NPS should be placed in binders, arranged using the New Product Submission Checklist as a table of contents and with corresponding section dividers (tabs) identifying the documents.
  5. The use of double-sided photocopies for protocols and reports of support studies, including data, is recommended to reduce the volume of paper submitted.
  6. Files of breakout products (e.g. various combinations of multivalent vaccines) should be submitted at the same time in order that they may be evaluated concurrently.
  7. All documents must be submitted in English or in French. If the original documents are written in a language other than English or French, a certified translation is required.
  8. Various restrictions and conditions may be applied once licensing is complete. These restrictions and conditions will be listed on the Veterinary Biologics Product Licence, and explained in supplemental correspondence as required.

D. Submission Requirements

  1. Products Manufactured and Licensed in Foreign Countries Other Than the U.S.

    A product manufactured in a foreign country other than the U.S. can be licensed in Canada provided the conditions listed in section IV above are met. The CFIA will conduct pre-licensing and periodic post-licensing manufacturer inspections, master seed and master cell stock testing, pre-licensing serial testing and post-licensing serial release. Results of serial tests performed by the manufacturer must be submitted to the CCVB on a Manufacturer's Serial Release Test Report for evaluation. The manufacturer must have an establishment licence, manufacturing authorization or equivalent as issued by the regulatory authorities in the country of manufacture.

  2. Special Circumstances

    Other cases not mentioned above will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The CCVB should be contacted for more details.

V. Required Forms and Licences

  1. Form CFIA/ACIA 4720 - Application for Services - PDF (311 kb)

  2. CFIA/ACIA 1503 - Veterinary Biologics Information Form - PDF (93 kb)

    Only an authorized person at the manufacturing site can sign this form.

  3. CFIA/ACIA 1493 - Application for Permit to Import Veterinary Biologics into Canada - PDF (163 kb)

    This form must be signed by the designated Canadian importer.

  4. Veterinary Biological Establishment License

    Manufacturers must supply a photocopy of their Marketing Authorization or equivalent document, as well as that of other manufacturers supplying product "for further manufacture" (FFM).

  5. Veterinary Biological Product License

    Manufacturers must supply a photocopy of their Marketing Authorization or equivalent document, as well as those of FFM products.

VI. Facility and Personnel Requirements

All VB intended for importation into Canada must be manufactured in a facility licensed and inspected by the regulatory authorities of the country of manufacture. This facility must also be acceptable to the CCVB. The approval of a new VB manufacturing facility involves a review of the facility, personnel, manufacturing and quality control/quality assurance documents, and a pre-licensing inspection of all premises where manufacturing, testing, preservation, packaging, labelling, storage and distribution of VB are performed.

Please contact the CCVB for a list of required documents.

VII. Manufacturing and Testing Protocols

A. General Considerations

Manufacturers from foreign countries other than the U.S. must prepare and submit at least three copies of each relevant Outline of Production (OP) and Special Outline (SO) in the Canadian format. Refer to Veterinarian Biologics Guideline 3.7E: Guideline for Preparation of Outlines of Production, Special Outlines and Summary of Changes for Veterinary Biologics for more details. The OP may cite internationally accepted references such as parts 101 to 123 of the United States Department of Agriculture's Title 9 Code of Federal Regulations (9 CFR), the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) or the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals (2010). Once the OP and SO are approved and stamped as satisfactory, one copy of each will be filed with the CCVB, one copy forwarded to the Biologics Evaluation Laboratory (BEL), and one returned to the manufacturer.

BEL is responsible for confirmatory testing.

B. Bulk Products and Products for Further Manufacture

For VB formulated from bulk vaccine manufactured at another facility, the manufacturer should also provide a flow chart indicating the source(s) of all antigens and/or components. The manufacturer submitting the NPS is responsible for ensuring that all up-to-date and relevant OP and SO are received by the CCVB from the manufacturer(s) of the bulk component(s).

C. Master Seeds and Master Cell Stocks

The following information is required:

  1. Master cell stock data: Identity (species, cell type) karyology, freedom from extraneous agents.
  2. Master seed data: Identity (genus, species, biotype), purity, back passage studies of modified live vaccines.
  3. Data on the genetic characterization if the product is biotechnology-derived.

A complete list of all micro-organisms handled in the same facilities where the VB will be prepared must be submitted to the CCVB.

Manufacturers handling pathogens foreign to Canada must provide the CCVB with information regarding the identity and handling of these pathogens. The CCVB will conduct a risk assessment to evaluate the risk of cross-contaminating VB manufactured in the same facility.

D. Materials of Animal Origin Documentation

In order to protect the Canadian public and the Canadian animal herd from transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) and from other infectious animal diseases foreign to Canada, all materials of animal origin used in the production of VB must be sourced from countries and animals acceptable to the CCVB.

More information on specific requirements can be found in Veterinary Biologics Guideline 3.32E: Guideline for Minimising the Risk of Introducing Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Agents Through Veterinary Biologics.

VIII. Labelling

Draft Canadian labels should accompany each NPS. Labels include vial labels, cartons, package inserts and all other printed information distributed with the product.

Labelling may be presented in English, French or both. If both languages are used, all information must appear in both languages. A third language may not appear on the labels unless all information is already included in English and French.

IX. Supporting Data

Data must be provided to support the purity, potency, safety and efficacy of the VB and to support label claims. Please refer to the appropriate New Product Submission Checklist when collecting this data.

Studies supporting efficacy and safety must be conducted with serials equivalent to the final VB described in the submitted OP. Depending on the specific VB, an efficacy and/or field safety study conducted in Canada may be required by the CCVB. All reports must be dated and signed by the study investigator and by the quality assurance personnel of the manufacturer. Only one copy of each supporting document is required. Figures, tables and graphs produced in colour must be submitted in colour. Copies of pertinent reprints (scientific publications) are required if these are referred to in the reports. Individual animal data for all the animals used in the studies are required; however, these data can be presented in summary tables. The use of double-sided photocopies is recommended to reduce the volume of paper submitted. Please review the NPS for accuracy and completeness before submitting it to the CCVB.

Any later amendments, including additions and corrections, to a signed and dated research report should be prepared as new, signed and dated documents detailing the changes and referencing the original report.

All correspondence between the manufacturer and the regulatory authorities of the country of manufacture pertaining to the approval of data and studies submitted to support the NPS must be submitted to the CCVB along with the NPS.

X. Summary Test Results

A. General Requirements

Manufacturers must submit batch protocols from three consecutive pre-licensing serials to verify uniformity, and serial-to-serial consistency of production serials. These data demonstrate the manufacturer's ability to consistently manufacture serials that meet OP specifications. Samples of these serials must be submitted to BEL for confirmatory testing.

The test results must be submitted to CCVB on a Manufacturer's Serial Release Test Report. Test references on serial release test result forms must cite the current OP and SO as filed with the CCVB.

Post-licensing serial release testing is also performed by BEL and all serials must be released by the CCVB prior to distribution in Canada.

B. Live Vaccines

Live vaccines may require additional testing. These requirements will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

C. Test Kits for Disease Control Programs

Before distribution to the CFIA accredited laboratories only, representative CFIA Reference Laboratories will test all serial diagnostic test kits used in the delivery of disease control programs for reportable diseases.

XI. Environmental Assessment and Risk Evaluation

The manufacturer is required to present an evaluation of the environmental impact of any novel or biotechnology-derived product.

The CFIA may also prepare a risk assessment, alone or in consultation with other governmental organizations, especially if the micro-organism could be harmful to humans, any animal species or the environment.

XII. Importation

The issuance of an annual import permit, or the addition of a product to an existing import permit, corresponds to the licensing of the VB in Canada.

A. Designated Importer

A Canadian importer must be designated by the foreign manufacturer (Form CFIA/ACIA 1503), and approved by CCVB before an import permit will be issued. The facilities of designated Canadian importers are inspected prior to the issuance of the import permit and periodically thereafter by the Veterinary Biologics Operations (VBO) group.

B. Import Permit

  1. An annual Permit to Import Veterinary Biologics is issued for the majority of VB which have been found acceptable for importation. This permit is valid for up to one year and must be renewed every year on, or before, April 30.
  2. Manufacturers are required to update all of their files of licensed VB before submitting an application to CCVB to renew their annual import permit.

C. Canada Border Services Agency Invoice

A copy of this invoice must be kept on record by the designated importer for all VB imported into Canada (on single entry or annual permit). This information may be requested on occasion. It is used for summary statistics only, and is kept strictly confidential.

XIII. Appendices

The following documents constitute part of this guideline and are appended. The appropriate document is sent to the CCVB along with a submission for the licensing of a new VB.

Date Modified: 2012-02-06

Top of Page
Important Notices