July 29/Biotech Law Weekly -- The Natural Products Association (NPA) announced that Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D., has been appointed interim executive director and CEO of the organization effective August 3. Fabricant has served as vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs with NPA since December of 2004. As was previously announced, David Seckman, who has headed the association for more than nine years, will be leaving at the end of the month to lead the Food Processing Equipment Manufacturers Association.

"We are greatly appreciative of Fabricant's willingness to assume the role of executive director as we conduct a search process for a permanent successor to David Seckman," said Pat Sardell, NPA's president. "A search committee has already been formed, and we hope to complete the recruitment process as expeditiously as possible."

Fabricant currently directs the association's GMP Certification Program, the NPA-U.S. Pharmacopoeia ingredient testing program based in China, and the association's natural certification and TruLabel programs. Additionally, he directs NPA's participation as a subcontractor for the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD) feasibility study. He serves as a spokesperson for the NPA on scientific, regulatory and technical topics to association members, legislative bodies, regulatory agencies and the media, on the national, international and state level.

Fabricant obtained his doctorate in pharmacognosy at the University of Illinois at Chicago under the tutelage of renowned professor Norman R. Farnsworth, and a B.S. in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has recently been appointed as an adjunct professor in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

From the August 3, 2009, Prepared Foods E-dition