HerbalEGram: Volume 5, Number 2, February 2008

The Drug Information Association (DIA), an organization that presents drug information across all forms of media worldwide, has selected Linda McGoldrick as its new worldwide executive director.¹ “I am excited to be part of the DIA cause in providing a universally respected neutral forum for information exchange on global drug development and discovery,” said McGoldrick in a recent DIA press release.¹ “Serving as DIA Worldwide Executive Director offers a great opportunity to work every day with a diverse group of professionals, from many different disciplines, companies, governments, and countries. It is this type of global collaboration that provides DIA a tremendous opportunity for growth and innovation aligning itself with the markets it serves.”

Botanicals and other complex products were the subject of more than a dozen workshops and conference tracks that the DIA has sponsored. Six DIA workshops on the development of botanicals as drugs and dietary supplements for the US market were co-sponsored by the Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, and United States Pharmacopeia. These programs addressed botanical nomenclature, taxonomy and chemistry, safety, efficacy and regulation. In addition to numerous experts in botanicals, Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council, participated in some of these programs, which were held not only in the United States, but also in Cape Town, South Africa, and Santiago, Chile.

Globalization of the DIA is one of McGoldrick’s top priorities (e-mail, February 1, 2008). In her new post, she will oversee DIA’s expansion into China and India, where the DIA plans to establish offices. These countries are interested in botanicals not only as “traditional medicines,” but also as novel foods and drugs for the global marketplace.  McGoldrick also hopes to nurture opportunities in South Africa, Southern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.

“Linda comes to DIA with internationally recognized experience in both the healthcare and financial sectors on a global level,” said Ron Fitzmartin, President of DIA’s Board of Directors, according to a DIA press release.¹ “Drug research and development is truly global, and Linda’s successful track record of restructuring and transitioning organizations, promoting new business ventures, and creating strategic alliances are vital to DIA’s global mission and vision.” McGoldrick received an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia where she also received an MSW in healthcare. She has since served as CEO, and president and director of various healthcare and life science companies.¹ She has designed and led strategies for market growth and entry into China, India, Scandinavia, and Europe for both North American and European companies. “I am sensitive to cultural and geographical differences and appreciate that business needs to be adapted to local conditions.”

“Global drug development is the future of the pharmaceutical industry. By 2020 the value of the pharmaceutical market is anticipated to more than double to $1.3 trillion, with Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, and Turkey accounting for nearly 20% of global pharmaceutical sales. This global demand has placed the pharmaceutical industry at a pivotal point in its evolution,” wrote McGoldrick. “I am confident that DIA can, through close collaboration with current and future members, do what is required to become a truly global organization.”

According to Freddie Ann Hoffman, MD, ABC advisory board member, DIA funds programs based on the interests of its members. Botanicals are the focus of the DIA’s Natural Health Products Track and Special Interest Area Community (NHP-SIAC), chaired by Carmen Tamayo, MD. Dr. Tamayo is hoping to attract DIA funding for an upcoming NHP-SIAC program on Indian botanicals developed by SIAC member, Pulok Mukherjee, PhD, FRSC, director of Natural Product Studies, at Javadpur University. He is chairing the conference, “Harmonizing Natural Health Products with International Coordination: Exploring Quality, Safety, Efficacy and Regulations,” to be held in Spring 2009 in Kolkata, India.  A similar conference held in 2005 in India, sponsored in part by the DIA, received more than 400 participants attending from13 countries.

More information about DIA is available at http://www.diahome.org/.

—Kelly E. Saxton

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