People In Brief

CHPA elections: Bayer Consumer Care North America Senior VP & Region Head Timothy Hayes named chairman-elect during association's annual conference in Aventura, Fla. March 13-15. He will succeed current chairman and Blistex President & COO Richard Green in 2004. Hayes was elected to CHPA's board in 2000; he joined its executive committee and chaired its finance committee the same year. Members elected to the trade group's board for the first time include Leiner Health Products President Gale Bensussen, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare North America President Gordon Knapp, P&G Global Personal Health Care VP Mary Lynn Ferguson-McHugh, Shaklee Senior VP & General Counsel Marjorie Fine....

FDA ODS deputy director: Anne Trontell, MD, will take over as Office of Drug Safety deputy director April 27, replacing Martin Himmel, MD, who left the post last year. Trontell leaves her job as director of the Division of Surveillance, Research & Communication Support, where she has been a strong proponent of database use to promote public health and has participated in efforts to publish medication guides and improve communication of drug information to patients. She also helped craft FDA's recent concept paper on risk management. Trontell served as deputy director of FDA's Division of Drug Risk Evaluation from 1999-2002; in her new post she will report to ODS Director Victor Raczkowski, MD....

FDA Pulmonary Division director: Badrul Chowdhury, MD/PhD, named permanent director of CDER's Division of Pulmonary & Allergy Drug Products effective March 23. He has served as acting director since July 2002 following the elevation of Robert Meyer, MD, to Office of Drug Evaluation II director (¹ (Also see "FDA Generics Office To Revise BCS Waiver Guidance Under Science Director" - Pink Sheet, 15 Jul, 2002.), p. 20). Chowdhury, who was a medical team leader in the division for three years and a member of the Clarinex review team, has been instrumental in the development of a guidance document on allergic rhinitis....

Skladany leaves FDA: Associate Commissioner for External Relations Linda Skladany is leaving the agency April 18 due to an illness in her family. Since joining FDA in June 2002, Skladany has developed an inventory of FDA's partnerships and joint programs with universities to create research opportunities for both FDA and university employees. Among Skladany's efforts was a program to boost agency outreach and recruitment for staff positions due to concern over the large number of impending retirements. Skladany also worked on recruitment of advisory committee members, emphasizing strong scientific credentials and diversity. FDA has not yet named her replacement....