People In Brief: Soller consults, Sharaf joins AHPA, Perrigo hires Crabill, Villaraigosa advises Herbalife

Soller leaves UCSF to consult full-time; Aker hires former Clavis Pharma scientists for krill R&D; Perrigo adds nutritional regulatory manager; USP veteran Sharaf joins AHPA; ex-mayor of Los Angeles advises Herbalife; FDA’s Plaisier earns permanent ORA appointment; more People In Brief.

Soller to consult full-time

Bill Soller leaves his posts as a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Pharmacy and as executive director of the school’s Center for Consumer Self Care to work at a Houston-based consulting firm he started 11 years ago. “I’m ready to spend more time in regulatory science instead of academic teaching,” said Soller, who will depart UCSF Sept. 21 but remain associated with the school. The SollerPhD consultancy already works with pharma clients, including some in the OTC space, said Soller, who went to UCSF after working as an executive at the Consumer Healthcare Products Association. “I have these projects that are ongoing and they just started growing,” he said.

Bill Soller

Photo courtesy of Bill Soller

Aker hires former Clavis Pharma scientists

Eight new scientists bolster Aker BioMarine ASA’s research & development expertise and will help the company focus on clinical outcomes and new product applications for its Superba Krill omega-3 ingredient. Oslo, Norway-based Aker announced Sept. 3 it hired Trygve Bergeland, Tore Duvold, Petter-Arnt Hals, Stefan Hupfeld, Tove Flem Jacobsen, Hanne Loken, Finn Myhren and Wenche Rasch. The scientists mostly are veterans of Norwegian biotech firm Aqualis ASA, which recently transitioned out of pharma after its experimental leukemia drug failed in a late-stage trial.

Perrigo adds nutritional regs manager

John Crabill joins Perrigo Co. PLC’s regulatory affairs team as senior manager of food safety and regulatory compliance, to ensure adherence to FDA standards for infant formula and nutritionals. Most recently, Crabill was a compliance manager in global quality systems for Mead Johnson Nutrition Co. and previously worked in an [Abbott Nutrition] analytical laboratory. The graduate of Michigan State University, with a master’s of science degree in food safety, will be based in Gordonsville, Va., Perrigo said Sept. 4. Gordonsville was the headquarters of PBM Holdings Inc., the private-label infant formula manufacturer that Perrigo acquired in 2010.

USP veteran Sharaf joins AHPA

After 15 years at the U.S. Pharmacopeia, where he co-developed the Dietary Supplements Compendium, Maged Sharaf departs to become the American Herbal Products Association’s chief science officer. The trade group said Sept. 9 Sharaf also helped build and implement USP’s dietary supplement and ingredient verification programs and oversaw the organization’s herbal medicine standards. Sharaf succeeds Steven Dentali, who recently became VP of botanical sciences at Herbalife (Also see "People In Brief" - Pink Sheet, 1 Jul, 2013.).

Maged Sharaf

Photo courtesy of AHPA

Ex-mayor of L.A. advises Herbalife

Antonio Villaraigosa, mayor of Los Angeles from 2005 to July 2013, will serve as a senior advisor to Herbalife Ltd. CEO Michael Johnson and the firm’s board of directors, providing counsel on strategic business development and global community outreach. Johnson said in a Sept. 5 release that Villaraigosa brings a unique perspective from his time leading L.A. and understands how Herbalife’s independent distributors can benefit communities through weight-management products and nutrition clubs. Villaraigosa praised Los Angeles-based Herbalife for its support of local civic organizations.

VitalneXt names Mareel to supervisory board

Rudy Mareel, the former CEO of Dutch biopharma firm Synthon, is appointed chairman of the supervisory board for newcomer VitalneXt BV, which seeks to bridge the life sciences and consumer products arenas. The firm, based in Groningen, the Netherlands, is commercializing Promanna, a product to protect against DNA damage, and Vital01, which targets malnourished elderly patients. In Mareel, whose appointment was announced Sept. 9, VitalneXt gains an executive with experience in biotech, pharma and medical nutrition. The Belgian national previously served on the executive board of Royal Numico NV, where he led the firm’s global clinical nutrition business launch.

Actavis appoints chief accounting officer

Parsippany, N.J.-based Allergan PLC Aug. 16 hires James D’Arecca, a certified public accountant and health care industry veteran, as its chief accounting officer. D’Arecca briefly served in the same role for Bausch & Lomb Inc., which was acquired by Valeant Pharmaceuticals International this year. He previously was executive director and assistant controller for Schering-Plough, and then business development controller for Merck & Co. after the firms merged. D’Arecca focused on consumer products, pharmaceuticals and medical devices during his tenure at PricewaterhouseCoopers from 1992 to 2005.

FDA’s Plaisier earns permanent appointment

Melinda Plaisier is named FDA’s associate commissioner for regulatory affairs, a position she had held on an acting basis since October 2012 (Also see "FDA Office of Regulatory Affairs Makeover Blends Domestic, International Work" - Pink Sheet, 15 Oct, 2012.). A Capitol Hill veteran who joined the agency in 1995, Plaisier spent more than 13 years in the Office of the Commissioner, serving as associate commissioner for legislation and then associate commissioner for international programs. She subsequently was regional food and drug director for the Office of Regulatory Affairs’ central region. Plaisier now reports to the deputy commissioner for global regulatory operations and policy, and leads ORA’s inspection and import review staff. Commissioner Margaret Hamburg in an early September memo praised Plaisier’s operational knowledge and collaborative demeanor.

Melinda Plaisier

Photo courtesy of FDA

Smith guides NACDS federal policy

Attorney Chris Smith moves from the National Community Pharmacists Association to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, where he began as director of federal public policy Aug. 27. In the new director-level position, Smith will provide policy guidance on issues relating to patient care, Medicaid and health exchanges. Smith also has been a visiting assistant professor of law at Widener University School of Law’s Health Law Institute, NACDS said in a Sept. 5 release.

Kleinman leads Life Extension’s Midwest sales

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Life Extension announces the appointment of Gary Kleinman as Midwest regional sales manager for dietary supplement wholesalers, with oversight of Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Before joining Life Extension in July, Kleinman spent six years as a sales manager for Irwin Naturals and has over 30 years of experience in the supplement industry, Life Extension said Aug. 16.

[Editor’s Note: “The Tan Sheet” regularly chronicles employment changes, professional awards and other news about people in the OTC drug and nutritional product industries. Submit announcements to [email protected].]