RAC certification for 263 regulatory professionals

The Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS) has announced that 263 regulatory professionals achieved Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC) during the most recent exam period. The RAC credential is administered by RAPS and is the only certification specifically for regulatory professionals in the healthcare product sector.

Regulatory professionals are involved in every stage of developing and bringing safe and effective drugs, medical devices, biotechnology and other healthcare products to market. More than 5,000 individuals around the world have earned the RAC. A full list of the new class of 263 and all current RACs is online at RAPS.org/rac, along with registration information for the upcoming exam cycle. The deadline to register for the October/November RAC exam cycle is 8 September.

"Regulatory expertise has become increasingly important and highly valued by companies and organizations in the healthcare product sector," said RAPS Executive Director Sherry Keramidas, PhD, CAE. "Having the RAC credential demonstrates to employers, regulators and others that this person not only has the knowledge of regulations and regulatory processes but also the critical thinking skills to apply that knowledge to a range of scenarios."

The RAC credential denotes commitment to excellence, pursuit of knowledge and career advancement. RAC-credentialed professionals are among the current and rising leaders in the regulatory profession. They work in all parts of the world and in many settings, including industry, government and academic organizations. RAPS' research has shown that holding an RAC is correlated to greater compensation among professionals in entry- to mid-level positions and that the proportion of RAC-credentialed professionals increases steadily at higher levels.

Four different RAC certifications are available: RAC (US) covering US regulations, RAC (EU) for European regulations, RAC (CAN) for Canadian regulations and RAC General Scope (GS), covering general regulatory knowledge and international standards. The credential initially is earned by passing one of the four RAC examinations and maintained through continuing professional development.

Many RAC-credentialed professionals will be in attendance at the 2009 RAPS Annual Conference & Exhibition at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, 13-16 September.