Important issues surrounding the quality of food and drugs—including global supply chain management, the challenges of creating follow-on biologics (in Canada, subsequent entry biologics) and nanotechnology for drug delivery—will be the focus of the U.S. Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention’s 2009 Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM). The ASM will be held in Toronto, Canada, from September 22 to 25.

“We have a strong international roster of top scientific and regulatory experts in pharmaceuticals, food, biotechnology and measurement,” said Roger L. Williams, M.D., chief executive officer of USP. “Navigating the complexities of global supply chain management, quality of food ingredients and understanding how measurement science can be utilized are key to ensuring the quality and safety of the world’s medicines and food ingredients. I’m looking forward to a rigorous and forward-moving discussion.”

Given urgent challenges in protecting the quality of drugs and foods—including melamine in food products, adulterated heparin, and diethylene glycol in cough syrups and toothpaste—this year’s ASM is especially timely and critical. This scientific dialogue will engage more than 200 experts from all over the world who will focus on such topics as the special challenges posed by biologic products, bioterrorism and advanced techniques for detecting protein, among many others.

A special pre-ASM Tuesday session on Adulteration and Contamination: Technologies of the Future will address the role of emerging technologies in protecting the global supply of food and drugs. Speakers include Steve Choquette from the National Institute of Standards and Technology on spectral identification, which allow more precise identification of substandard materials; David Hale from the National Institutes of Health/National Library of Medicine on advanced imaging/high resolution photography; and Anthony Zook from Merck & Company on advanced detection of suspected counterfeit drugs.

Highlights of this year’s program include sessions on:

* Canadian Food and Drug Regulation (Wednesday, September 23, 2009)
* Biomeasurement, featuring scientists from Brazil, Canada, China, the United Kingdom and the United States (Thursday, September 24, 2009)
* Nanotherapeutics and Measurement (Friday, September 25, 2009)

Registration can be completed online at: www.usp.org/goto/asm. The registration rate is $1,350 per person. On-site registration will be available. A special rate of $650 is offered to associations, academia and government. Please email conferences@usp.org for the group rate. The registration fee covers the program, meeting materials, breakfast and lunch daily, and all meeting social activities.

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About US Pharmacopeia
The United States Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention is a scientific, nonprofit, standards-setting organization that advances public health through public standards and related programs that help ensure the quality, safety, and benefit of medicines and foods. USP’s standards are recognized and used worldwide.

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Sandra Kim
sek@usp.org
301-816-8241
US Pharmacopeia

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