An official publication, first published by the American Pharmaceutical Association and now yearly by the United States Pharmacopeial Convention, that contains the composition, description, method of manufacture, and dose of medications. The book includes two independent official compendia: the USP and the NF.
Established in 1820, the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) comprises legally recognized standards for the identification, strength, quality, purity, packaging, and labeling of pharmacological ingredients, dosage forms, and other therapeutic items, including nutritional and dietary supplements.
USP-NF monographs include specifications (tests, procedures, and acceptance criteria) to assist verify the strength, quality, and purity of designated products. The USP-NF also includes monographs and basic guidelines for ensuring the quality of compounded products. USP-NF monographs, which are recognized worldwide, may be enforced by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well as state agencies in the US.
USP has offices in India, China, Brazil, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Switzerland. Our global reach allows us to assist with everything from laboratory quality control to pharmaceutical training, avoiding the entrance of low-quality medicines into the market, and providing essential technical assistance in developing nations. We also offer substantial prospects for international partnership. Through these activities, we remain faithful to our purpose of improving global public health.
For the past 30 years, USP has helped to build trust in generic pharmaceuticals by creating quality standards that give millions of Americans better access to the medications they require. Today, 90% of all prescriptions are filled using generics, saving $1.67 trillion over the last decade. USP standards have contributed to increase the availability of medications for people suffering from the world's most deadly diseases, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.
Breakthroughs and new discoveries such as digital pharmaceuticals, gene editing, artificial intelligence, 3D printing, immunotherapy, and cell therapies are transforming treatments, and we must work hard to maintain trust in their quality and promote their use. In addition to publishing the Dietary Supplements Compendium, which establishes quality criteria for the production of dietary supplements, USP allows supplement producers to submit their products to the rigorous inspection of our USP Verified Program. A supplement that meets our high quality standards is awarded the USP Verified Mark. The USP Verified Mark validates that the supplement includes the contents mentioned on the label and is free of hazardous amounts of specified contaminants, among other quality indicators.