Cara Welch, acting director of FDA’s ODSP, to open AHPA’s Botanical Congress in May

The American Herbal Products Association (Silver Spring, MD; AHPA) announced Cara Welch, PhD, acting director, office of dietary supplement programs (ODSP) at FDA, will address attendees at the virtual AHPA Botanical Congress, held Monday, May 24, during the opening session. She is expected to share insights into how the Agency re-adjusted its priorities during COVID and its long-term impact on inspections, approvals of structure/function claims, NDI notification and more.

The one-day event, “Botanicals in the time of COVID,” will explore regulatory, supply chain, and other business-related issues directly impacting companies and individuals in the botanical/herbal and dietary supplement industries. Other session topics include “The Current Herbal International Regulatory Environment,” “The Impact of COVID on the North American Traditional Healers,” and business-forward panels designed to offer take-aways for the industry on handling the new normal.

“AHPA’s ninth Botanical Congress follows the most disruptive year in the Association’s almost 40-year history,” said AHPA president Michael McGuffin, in a press release. “Everyone is eager to move beyond the isolation and business disruption of the COVID pandemic, so when our members asked us to focus on what the botanical industry experienced and how as a community, we can learn from and support each other, we created an exceptional event that I trust will help members shape a path forward.”