Who We Are
The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is the official public standards-setting authority for all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements, and other healthcare products manufactured and sold in the United States. USP sets standards for the quality of these products and works with healthcare providers to help them reach the standards. USP's standards are also recognized and used in more than 130 countries. These standards have been helping to ensure good pharmaceutical care for people throughout the world for more than 185 years.
USP is an independent, science-based public health organization. As a self-sustaining nonprofit organization, USP is funded through revenues from the sale of products and services that help to ensure good pharmaceutical care. USP's contributions to public health are enriched by the participation and oversight of volunteers representing pharmacy, medicine, and other healthcare professions as well as academia, government, the pharmaceutical industry, health plans, and consumer organizations.
Our Mission
USP promotes the public health by developing and disseminating quality standards and information for medicines, healthcare delivery, and related products and practices. Our standards and information help patients and practitioners maintain and improve health.
What We Do
Product Quality—Standards and Verification
USP establishes public standards to help assure good quality medicines, dietary supplements, and related products used to maintain health and treat disease. Prescription and over-the-counter medicines available in the United States must, by federal law, meet USP's public standards, where such standards exist. Many other countries require the use of high-quality standards such as USP's to assure the quality of medicines and related products. USP disseminates its standards to pharmaceutical manufacturers, pharmacists, and other users through its USP–NF and other publications, official USP Reference Standards materials, and Pharmacopeial Education courses.
USP also conducts verification programs for dietary supplement ingredients and products. These programs involve independent testing and review to verify ingredient and product integrity, purity, and potency for manufacturers who choose to participate.
Patient Safety
USP operates two programs to promote safer care of patients who take medications and stay in hospitals. The Medication Errors Reporting Program allows healthcare professionals to directly report medication errors to USP. MEDMARX®, an Internet-based medication error and adverse drug reaction reporting program, is designed for use in hospitals and health systems. USP also uses its knowledge base to provide information that supports the healthcare community in the research and development of patient safety initiatives.
Healthcare Information
USP develops authoritative, unbiased information relating to various aspects of drug use and disseminates this information to practitioners, pharmacists, and others who make decisions about healthcare around the world. Significant among USP's healthcare information initiatives is the development of a drug classification system that Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit plans may use to develop their formularies. USP also partners with the U.S. Agency for International Development in worldwide projects that help to assure drug quality and proper drug use in many developing countries.
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