HHS seeking public comment on its proposed removal of biological agents from list

The United States Department of Health and Human Services announced on Monday that it will be seeking public comment regarding the review of biological agents and toxins that have the potential to pose a severe threat to public health and safety, with a proposal to republish that list.

The agency, along with the Centers for Disease Control, are proposing to remove six biological agents, add provisions to address the inactivation of select agents, add specific provisions to the section of the regulations addressing biosafety, and clarify regulatory language concerning security, training, incident response and records.

The select biological agents up for review are coxiella burnetii, rickettsia prowazekii, bacillus anthracis Pasteur Strain, brucella abortus, B. melitensis, and B. suis.

Other proposed changes include the inactivation of select agents; changes to toxins, including permissible limits; and exemptions for select agents and toxins, along with security, biosafety and incident response plans.

The proposed changes will also touch on training for these agents as well as record keeping.

The comment period serves as a review to the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002, also known as the Bioterrorism Response Act.