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Wachira Joins USP as Director of DQI Program

PharmaManufacturing.com
07/21/2006

The U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) is pleased to welcome Catherine Wachira as director of the Drug Quality and Information (DQI) program. USP’s DQI program, funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), provides technical assistance in drug quality assurance, develops and disseminates unbiased drug and therapeutic information, trains staff of official medicines control laboratories, and provides scientific evidence for healthcare decision-making in developing countries.

Most recently, Wachira was the director of clinical research for Callisto Pharmaceuticals, where she managed clinical operations for studies in multiple myeloma, acute lymphocytic leukemia and acute myelogenous leukemia. Her career includes more than 14 years experience within the pharmaceutical industry, working in oncology clinical drug development with Bristol-Myers Squibb (Erbitux program) and PRA-Genentech partnership (Avastin program), and product management with Bayer Rhone-Poulenc Rorer (now Aventis). Wachira also has substantial public health experience and has worked with the United Nations Development Program, Bureau for Development Policy (UNDP BDP), HIV/AIDS Group and has consulted on several pivotal USAID funded programs with key public health organizations; The Futures Group International, Family Health International, and the Catholic Medical Mission Board.

Wachira holds a bachelor’s of science degree in biochemistry and an MBA in Strategic Management from the University of Nairobi in Nairobi, Kenya.  She has undertaken graduate studies in public health and is currently completing her thesis in global health at Yale University.

“We are very excited to have Catherine as our DQI director,” stated Nancy Blum, vice president, international affairs for USP. “Her international background will be a major asset for USP. The fact that she has both science and business experience is a real plus because this position demands technical credibility and management expertise.”

As director of DQI, Wachira will direct the planning and implementation of USP’s cooperative agreement with USAID to provide technical assistance and education to support high-quality manufacturing and appropriate use of medications in developing countries.

For more information on U.S. Pharmacopeia, visit www.usp.org.