USP Chief Science Officer Darrell Abernethy to receive ACCP Distinguished Service Award

Award honors Dr. Abernethy's lasting contributions to cardiovascular clinical pharmacology

Rockville, Md., July 17, 2008 — The U.S. Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention is pleased to announce that its chief science officer, Darrell Abernethy, M.D., Ph.D., will be honored with the American College of Clinical Pharmacology's (ACCP) Nathaniel T. Kwit Memorial Distinguished Service Award at the 2008 ACCP Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pa., September 14-16. Dr. Abernethy is being recognized for his lasting contributions to cardiovascular clinical pharmacology.

As chief science officer of USP, Dr. Abernethy leads the development of documentary standards that comprise USP's publications, including the United States Pharmacopeia–National Formulary (USP–NF) and the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC). These standards are used by regulatory agencies and manufacturers in the United States and throughout the world to help assure the quality, purity and strength of prescription and over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements and food ingredients. Dr. Abernethy has held this position since June 2007, having previously served in a volunteer capacity for the organization as president of the USP Convention. Prior to joining USP as chief science officer, Dr. Abernethy most recently served as chief of the Laboratory of Clinical Investigation with the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health and professor of medicine and of pharmacology and molecular science at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He has more than 25 years of experience in medicine and pharmacology, and has held various positions in academia, practice and research at Baylor College, Brown University, Georgetown University, Massachusetts General Hospital and Tufts University.

The ACCP's Nathaniel T. Kwit Memorial Distinguished Service Award is given in honor of the memory of the late Nathaniel T. Kwit, M.D., FCP, a founding fellow of the organization. It recognizes an overall contribution to the field of clinical pharmacology.