May 2, 2011

Membership@usp.org

CONVENTION

3 USP Volunteers Honored with Prestigious APhA Awards—In recognition of their outstanding contributions to the pharmacy profession, delegates/volunteers, were honored at the March 2011 American Pharmacists Association (APhA) annual meeting in Seattle, Washington. USP congratulates the following distinguished volunteers on their achievements:

  • Thomas R. Temple, R.Ph.—Mr. Temple, a member of the USP Board of Trustees was presented with the Hugo H. Schaefer Award, which recognizes his outstanding voluntary contributions to society, the profession of pharmacy, and APhA. Dr. Temple, who is executive vice president and chief executive officer of the Iowa Pharmacy Association, was selected for his leadership of a well-integrated state organization for community and health-system pharmacy practitioners, among other accomplishments.
  • Julie K. Johnson, Pharm.D.—Dr. Johnson is the USP Delegate and executive director-CEO of the Minnesota Pharmacists Association. She received the Gloria Niemeyer Francke Leadership Mentor Award for promoting and encouraging pharmacists to attain leadership positions within pharmacy through her example as a role model and mentor. Dr. Johnson was identified as an "indispensible resource of professional advice for the 400+ Pharm.D. students on the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota."
  • Michael A. Moné , J.D., R.Ph.—Mr. Moné , a member of the USP Council of the Convention and delegate from the Florida Pharmacists Association, received the Linwood F. Tice Friend of the APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists Award. Recognized for his long-term service and contributions in support of the APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists (ASP) and its members, Mr. Moné was selected for bringing his unique professional experiences and vast insight to the profession and the students he supports. At the University of Utah School of Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies, Michael makes himself accessible to the students, realizing the program may be emotional for first-time attendees. He also serves as parliamentarian to the APhA-ASP House of Delegates. Mr. Moné is currently vice president of supply chain integrity at Cardinal Health, Inc.

We would welcome learning about other important awards honoring our Convention delegates.

New Council of the Convention Members Added to Represent Consumers and Patients—AARP and the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) are the newest members of the Council of the Convention (CoC). Representing the perspectives of consumers and patients, N. Lee Rucker, M.S.P.H., Senior Strategic Policy Advisor at AARP, and Diane E. Dorman, Vice President of Public Policy at NORD, were appointed by USP President and CoC Chair Dr. Timothy Franson. Additional CoC members will be added in the future to assure representation to reflect USP's expanding membership.

HEADQUARTERS

Register Now for USP Scientific & Standards Symposium in Seattle—Registration is open for USP's Scientific & Standards Symposium (SSS) on Biologics & Biotechnology: Advancing Quality Standards through Analytics and Assays, October 3-6, 2011 in Seattle, Washington. USP's SSS, formerly known as the Annual Scientific Meeting, will bring together an international panel of experts to discuss challenges associated with the development of regulations and characterization of insulin, pancrelipase/therapeutic enzymes, monoclonal antibodies, tissue and cell therapy products, and much more. Read the full agenda and register.

Fellowship Program—Scientists from around the world are invited to apply for four USP fellowships. USP will award two $50,000 research fellowship awards and two $25,000 awards to promote education and training. The deadline for applications is May 20, 2011.

Read About Proposed USP Medicines Compendium of Global Standards and More in Latest Issue of The Standard—USP CEO Dr. Roger Williams explains the proposed USP Medicines Compendium in the Spring issue of The Standard, USP's quarterly newsletter.

STANDARDS

USP Partners with FDA and CHPA to Update Standards for Common Medications—USP is working with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) to update documentary standards (monographs) for widely used medicines. FDA has identified a number of medications and ingredients commonly used in prescription and OTC products that may be vulnerable to economically motivated adulteration or are associated with other concerns. USP is working to make sure the quality standards for these products are based on the best current analytical procedures and allied reference materials to resolve such concerns.

USP Updates Medicare Model Guidelines—USP has released Version 5.0 of the Medicare Model Guidelines which list categories and classes of medicines that prescription drug plans may use to develop their own formularies for the Medicare Part D benefit. USP's role in the Part D benefit was created by Congress in 2003. The Model Guidelines are a voluntary standard used in the yearly evaluation of drug plan formularies by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

INTERNATIONAL

Public Database to Track Quality of Medicines in Global Markets—The USAID-USP Promoting the Quality of Medicines (PQM) program has launched the free, public Medicines Quality Database to help health authorities, manufacturers, and regulators identify poor quality medicines. The database contains more than 8,700 records of medicines collected and analyzed in collaboration with stakeholders from countries in Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia.

Copy to Executive Officers 11-04