Dr. Stephen Sundlof, Director of Veterinary Medicine at the Food and Drug Administration, presented to AVDA's Board of Directors on such issues as: User Fees, Minor Use/Minor Species Legislation, Compliance Issues/Drug Compounding, Dietary Supplements, and Anti-Microbial Resistance.

Dr. Sundlof reported that the rewrite on the Compliance Guide would be ready in the coming months, and would be available on FDA's website. AVDA members will be notified when the Guide is ready, and a link will be provided on AVDA's website.

Dr. Sundlof requested assistance from AVDA and its members in determining the amount of drug use in the market, and in monitoring and identifying illegal compounding activity. The Board agreed to support the CVM in these areas.

Following the Board of Directors meeting, several AVDA members stayed in Washington for the remaining two days of NAW's Executive Summit. Speakers at the Summit included: Secretary of Labor, Elaine Chao; U.S. Senator Jim Talent (Mo.); and representatives from some of the leading wholesale distribution firms in the country. AVDA Chairman, Kim Allen, participated on a panel of distributors.

The meeting concluded with an exclusive White House Briefing. President Bush welcomed the NAW delegation, including several AVDA members, to the White House on Wednesday, January 29, the day following his televised State of the Union message. The President briefed the delegation on public policy issues and thanked NAW for its support of his economic stimulus package.

NAW's next Annual Meeting will be held in Washington, DC, on January 26-28, 2004.