Donald Miller, professor and chair of pharmacy practice, has been appointed to a three-year term on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Arthritis Advisory Committee.
“It’s very exciting,” Miller said of his appointment. “My teaching and my interests are in both rheumatology or arthritis, as well as evidenced-based medicine and evaluating the quality of drug studies. So, those are perfect backgrounds for serving on this committee.”
Miller was a member an FDA panel in July that evaluated data on the safety and effectiveness of the prescription drugs Cimzia and Humira as treatment for spondyloarthritide disorders, or inflammatory back arthritis.
“When I served in July, it was probably the most interesting intellectual challenge that I could have had with my background,” Miller said, noting the committee will meet Feb. 10-11 to discuss new data and potential labeling changes for anti-inflammatory medicines like Motrin and Aleve.
Miller said the committee meets two to three times per year. By law, the group gathers each time a new drug entity is considered for first-time approval or when advice is requested from a panel of experts.
Miller earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Manitoba and his Doctor of Pharmacy at the University of Michigan. He is a fellow of the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists and a member of the American Pharmaceutical Association, American College of Clinical Pharmacy, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, American College of Rheumatology and the Arthritis Foundation North Central Chapter board of directors. In addition, Miller is on the editorial advisory board for Arthritis Today.
NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.