AHPA Holds Annual Meeting, Launches AER Program

SILVER SPRING, Md.--The American Herbal Products Associations (AHPA) board of trustees elected new officers during its annual membership meeting. Edward J. Fletcher, Strategic Sourcing, is the new chairman; Susan Trimbo, GNC, is vice-chair; Katie Huggins, Traditional Medicinals, is secretary; and Mitch Coven, Vitality Works, is treasurer. Fletcher will head up the board of trustees, which includes:

Monzur Ahmed, Neways International; Lee Carroll, Standard Process/ MediHerb; Jon Cassista, NOW Foods; Coven; Edward Croom, Ph.D., Indena USA; Staci Eisner, PlusPharma Inc.; Bob Green, Novel Ingredient Services; Lyra Heller, Metagenics Inc.; Huggins; Sara Katz, Herb Pharm; William Keller, Ph.D., Natures Sunshine Products; James Kinsinger, The Hain Celestial Group; Beth Lambert, Herbalist & Alchemist; David Litell, The Chemins Co.; Matt Redd, A. M. Todd Co.; Greg Tilford, Animal Essentials Inc.; Trimbo; Gordon Walker, Natures Way Products; Stefan Wypyszyk, MB North America; and Michael Yatcilla, Natrol Inc.

During the meeting, AHPA (www.ahpa.org) also presented three awards. Lambert, chief executive officer (CEO) of Herbalist & Alchemist, was named the AHPA Hero, an award recognizing an individual who has made outstanding contributions to AHPAs committees or initiatives.

Joseph Betz, Ph.D., director of the Dietary Supplement Methods and Reference Materials Program, Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health (NIH), received the AHPA Herbal Insight Award in recognition of his work to further knowledge and understanding of botanicals and their uses. And Traditional Medicinals received the AHPA Herbal Industry Leader award, presented to companies that set an example of outstanding business practice.

In additional news, AHPA is offering an education program, Adverse Event Reporting: How to Comply with the New Law, designed to help companies train staff and put policies in place to comply with the Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act, set for implementation in December 2007. Speakers include Tony Young, Esq., AHPAs general counsel; Michael McGuffin, AHPAs president; and Paula Gardiner, M.D., MPH, a research fellow at Harvard Medical Schools Osher Institute and a member of USPs Dietary Supplements Expert Committee. The speakers define what makes an adverse event, how to take an adverse event report (AER), and the steps to developing a formal AER reporting system, including recordkeeping requirements and practicalities of submissions. Course materials include worksheets, speaker presentations, an audio CD and a written transcript of the online presentation; cost is $220 for AHPA members, $520 for non-members.