American Chinese Pharmaceutical
Association Newsletter
Editor: James W. Shaw, Pharm.D., M.S.
April, 2000
Shiew-Mei Huang
As I indicated in our January newsletter, one of ACPA's goals for year 2000 is to continue to promote global communication and networking among Chinese-American pharmaceutical scientists and pharmacy practitioners. In addition, we would like to provide quality programs, conferences, and workshops for our members. You will read, from the following reports from the executive committee and various standing committee chairs, that these volunteer officers for the ACPA organization are working at full speed to achieve these goals. We again have planned or are planning various international and local conferences for our members. To facilitate efficient planning and better participation, we are collaborating with other professional organizations. To help our organization fund quality programs and provide various scholarships, the Finance committee has set its financial target and is working hard to secure results. To help members understand our financial status, we have included in this issue a financial report for year 1999. As the Communications Committee reported, we will be expanding our networking efforts and developing a new website to better serve our members. The executive committee and the standing committee chairs had their first quarterly meeting in February. Our next meeting is scheduled to be held in May. If you have any suggestions for us to consider at our next meeting, please email me (huangs@cder.fda.gov) or one of the other executive committee members/standing committee chairs before May 10.
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Marina Chang
ACPA will be holding its 5th International Conference in Singapore on May 28-30, 2001 with post-conference workshops on May 31 and June 1, 2001. The theme of the conference will be "Bringing Asian Herbal Medicine to the Modern Mainstream Pharmaceutical World." Tentative topics for the workshops include the following: Intellectual Properties for Herbal Products, cGMP and Herbal Products, Development of an Herbal Product into a Drug. GEA-NUS Pharmaceutical Processing Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore will be co-hosting this event with ACPA. A side-trip to Bali Island is being planned for after the conference. Many of the pharmaceutical and pharmacy/medical organizations in Asia have shown interest in sponsoring this conference. The Modernized Chinese Medicine International Association (MCMIA) of Hong Kong and Pharmaceutical Industry Technology & Development Center (PITDC) of Taiwan have already committed themselves to sponsoring the conference. ACPA members interested in attending should contact Keith Chan, 2001 Conference Program Chairman, at (410) 712-9500, vchank@globomax.com or Marina Chang, President-Elect, at (301) 827-2305, changm@CDER.FDA.GOV.
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Francis Lam
The Communications Committee's responsibilities include the newsletter, as well as communications with our members via e-mail and the Association's website.
We have revised the e-mail list for our members and those who are interested in ACPA's mission and activities. This e-mail list will be updated regularly, and we would appreciate your letting us know of any future e-mail or postal address changes. Any changes can be sent to Francis Lam at lamf@uthscsa.edu.
Based on the number of changes since our last membership directory was published, we are in the process of determining whether or not a new directory is needed. If it is determined that a new directory is required, we will be laying the foundation for its development later this year.
In addition to announcements for various Association programs (e.g., meetings, conferences, and scholarships), the Communications Committee is evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of sending our quarterly newsletter to members by e-mail in PDF format. The Committee is also seeking to establish a means for improving networking between members through a listserv and the formation of discussion groups.
After giving consideration to the time, resources, and effort needed to maintain the current website, President Huang has directed the Communications Committee to initiate the process of establishing a new website for ACPA. We will keep you posted on the progress through e-mail and the newsletter. In the mean time, the current website (http//www.acpa-rx.org) will remain in effect.
Our newsletter editor, James Shaw, always welcomes members' contributions to the newsletter. Over the course of the past year, the content of the newsletter has changed to include feature articles relating to pharmacy and pharmaceutical science, as well as personal reflections regarding career choice and academic experience. If you are interested in submitting an article for publication in the newsletter, please e-mail James at shaw@lilly.com.
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Peter King
An effort will be made this year and for the next few years to raise funds from pharmaceutical companies, contract research organizations, and private donors. A fundraising letter, along with an organizational vision statement and description of ACPA's programs, will be developed and distributed to potential donors. In addition, an investment strategy will be developed to increase the value of ACPA's existing funds. Please e-mail Peter King (kingsp@war.wyeth.com) with suggestions or possible donations.
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Wendy Chou
The Nomination Committee is seeking nominations for the Association's President-Elect for YR 2001. Individuals who are interested in pursuing this position or nominating someone else should send a letter of intent to Wendy or another member of the Committee by August 1, 2000. Letters should be mailed to the following address: US FDA/CDER/OCPB, 1451 Rockville Pike, HFD-860, Rockville, MD 20852. You can also e-mail Wendy at chouw@cder.fda.gov.
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Jinn Wu
ACPA will be sponsoring an East Coast Regional Mini-Symposium in Princeton, NJ on Saturday, June 10, 2000. The symposium's theme is "New Challenges in Modern Drug Discovery and Development." This program will be co-sponsored by SCBA and the Monte Jade Science and Technology Association Greater New York Chapter. The registration fee is $25/person for members of ACPA and the two co-sponsor organizations and $35/person for non-members. This covers drinks, a snack, and lunch. This is a great opportunity to hear from many experts in drug discovery and development who work in the FDA or pharmaceutical industry. A detailed program and registration will be sent to you via e-mail. Please send your completed registration form and check to Jinn Wu, ACPA Program Chair, XenoBiotic Laboratories, Inc., 107 Morgan Lane, Plainsboro, NJ 08536.
ACPA has scheduled its Annual Meeting on Sunday, October 29, 2000 (10:30 AM - 4:00 PM). This will be held in conjunction with the AAPS Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana. The tentative program includes topics relevant to young scientists, recent graduates, and pharmacy students. Other programs, such as investment opportunities and business-related topics, are under consideration. We need your input and suggestions. Please submit your suggestions to Jinn by e-mail at jwu@xbl.com or call (609) 799-2295 x 203.
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Veronica Young
ACPA offers two scholarships to students of Chinese heritage enrolled in the professional years of a pharmacy program at an ACPE-accredited college of pharmacy in North America. The scholarship provides general support for the completion of any entry-level pharmacy degree (B.S. or Pharm.D.). One scholarship will be awarded to a student in his/her first or second year of the professional curriculum. A second scholarship will be awarded to a student in his/her third or fourth year of the professional curriculum. This year, the Scholarship Committee has received 29 applications, with 21 for the first scholarship and 8 for the second scholarship. The Committee will be reviewing the applicant profiles in April. Winners will be announced in May 2000. For additional information, please contact Veronica Young, the Scholarship Committee Chair, at youngv@uthscsa.edu.
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Shiew-Mei Huang
St John's wort is one of the leading herbal products used in the United States. Recently, several reports have cited interactions between St. John's wort and prescription pharmaceuticals. Some of these were controlled pharmacokinetics studies; however, several others were case reports. St. John's wort appears to reduce plasma levels of indinavir and digoxin in controlled clinical studies. According to case reports, it may also reduce the efficacy of warfarin, oral contraceptives, cyclosporin, and theophylline. Mechanisms of interaction may involve the induction of the metabolizing cytochrome P450 enzymes, the P-glycoprotein transporter, or other metabolizing enzymes. Until these interactions have been fully elucidated and more data become available, the regulatory agencies have issued letters to health care providers and patients warning against the use of St. John's wort in combination with certain prescription drugs (e.g., AIDS therapy). For additional information, please refer to the following references.
Given the number of significant grapefruit juice-drug interactions that have been reported, I have also provided the URL for a website that discusses these at length.
1. http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/advisory/stjwort.htm.
2. Piscitelli SC. Lancet 2000; 355: 547-548.
3. Ruschitzka F et al. Lancet 2000; 355: 548-549.
4. http://wwweudra.org/humandocs/Humans/PS.htm.
5. Brockmoller JA. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1999; 66: 338-345.
6. http://powernetdesign.com/grapefruit.
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Bing-Bing Yang, Treasurer
Account Balance as of 12/31/1998: $ 54,701.29
1999 Expenses and Income: ($ 15,739.28)
Account Balance as of 12/31/1999: $ 38,962.01
In 2000, major effort is directedd to solicit contribution and donations from individuals and companies by the Fundraising Committee.
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Wei Yin
In 1993, I completed my pharmacy baccalaureate education at the Beijing Medical University College of Pharmacy, which is now a part of Beijing University. Aspiring to further my education in the United States, I studied for and subsequently passed the TOEFL and GRE examinations. After having worked a couple of years in pharmaceutical manufacturing and research, I was accepted in the spring of 1996 by the Division of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin) as a Ph.D. student in the pharmaceutics program.
Like many other graduate students, I have since served either as research assistant or teaching assistant at the college. These experiences have been invaluable as they have complemented my academic experience and improved my capacity to perform research. In general, Ph.D. students in pharmaceutics at UT-Austin follow an individually tailored program, which they arrange with their principle instructor. Students are expected to acquire a broad knowledge base and the skills necessary to conduct research. They are motivated by their professors to read and to perform intense literature searches. Aside from course work related to their major, students may be asked to take courses in biology, chemistry, statistics, or engineering. The most critical objective of a pharmaceutics Ph.D. program is for students to demonstrate their ability to conduct independent and original research.
Areas of emphasis in the pharmaceutics program at UT-Austin are pharmacokinetics, formulation, biopharmaceutics, biotechnology, and computer-assisted drug design. Professors in the division enjoy productive relationships with pharmaceutical companies and other research-based and grant-providing organizations. Research, which the students conduct under the direction of the professorial staff, tends to be funded by outside sources. Familiarity with these sources helps the Ph.D. students to quickly secure employment following graduation.
In due time and with guidance from my advisor, I have framed my study and research interests as pharmacokinetics and biotechnology. I completed my course work some time ago and have since been working on a research project with grant from Novartis. Long hours of didactic and/or laboratory work are commonplace in a Ph.D. program. A student often finds himself or herself working late into the evening or on weekends. However, taking everything into consideration, I feel that my graduate education has been a privilege and look forward to the prospect of becoming a trained pharmaceutical scientist.
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