WCBP 2009

 SYMPOSIUM CO-CHAIRS:

Barry Cherney, CDER, FDA      Philip Krause, CBER, FDA      Wassim Nashabeh, Genentech, Inc.

MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT

This U.S. FDA co-sponsored WCBP Symposium series is the pre-eminent conference addressing the analytical development/regulatory control interface for biotechnology derived health intervention products. The goal of this Symposium series is to provide a forum for discussing the latest bioanalytical methods and their practical application to biotechnology pharmaceuticals and other health related products. Both state-of-the-art innovations as well as conventional technologies addressing research and routine testing applications will be covered. This includes both method and instrumental advances that are used for product characterization, process development, in-process analysis and validate release & stability testing.

WCBP 2009 is co-sponsored by CASSS and the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

NOTE: NEW TRAVEL REGULATIONS

Electronic System For Travel Authorization (ESTA) Advisory Statement

Beginning January 12, 2009, all nationals and citizens of Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries will be required by law to obtain a travel authorization prior to initiating travel to the United State under the VWP.  This authorization may be obtained online through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), a free Internet application administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through a U.S. government Web site.

DHS does not charge VWP travelers a fee for completion of an ESTA application.  Eligible visitors seeking to travel to the United States under the VWP may apply for travel authorization via the ESTA Web site at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov

VWP travelers should be aware that unauthorized third-parties have established Web sites, which charge visitors seeking to travel to the United States under the VWP, for information about ESTA and for submitting ESTA applications to DHS on behalf of the traveler.  These businesses and Web sites are no endorsed by, associated with, or affiliated in any way with DHS or the United States Government.  Again, the United States Government does not charge a fee to obtain information about, apply for, or obtain a travel authorization through the ESTA will not expedite the granting of approval.

The ESTA application Web site is available in 16 languages and includes a help section that provides additional information for VWP travelers to guide them through the application process.  Additional information about ESTA may be found at http://www.cbp.gov/esta