  the united states pharmacopeia (usp) is the official pharmacopeia of the united states, published dually with the national formulary as the usp-nf. the united states pharmacopeial convention (usually also called the usp) is the nonprofit organization that owns the trademark and copyright to the usp-nf and publishes it every year. prescription and overâtheâcounter medicines and other health care products sold in the united states are required to follow the standards in the usp-nf. usp also sets standards for food ingredients and dietary supplements. == product qualityâstandards and verification == usp establishes written (documentary) and physical (reference) standards for medicines, food ingredients, dietary supplement products and ingredients. these standards are used by regulatory agencies and manufacturers to help to ensure that these products are of the appropriate identity, as well as strength, quality, purity, and consistency. prescription and over-the-counter medicines available in the united states must, by federal law, meet usp-nf public standards, where such standards exist. many other countries use the usp-nf instead of issuing their own pharmacopeia, or to supplement their government pharmacopeia. usp's standards for food ingredients can be found in its food chemicals codex (fcc). the fcc is a compendium of standards used internationally for the quality and purity of food ingredients like preservatives, flavorings, colorings and nutrients. while the fcc is recognized in law in countries like australia, canada and new zealand, it currently does not have broad legal recognition in the united states. usp obtained the fcc from the institute of medicine in 2006. the iom had published the first five editions of the fcc. usp also conducts verification programs for dietary supplement products and ingredients. these are testing and audit programs. products that meet the requirements of the program can display the usp verified dietary supplement mark on their labels. this is different from seeing the letters âuspâ alone on a dietary supplement label, which means that the manufacturer is claiming to adhere to usp standards. usp does not test such products as it does with usp verified products. == healthcare information == usp develops information relating to various aspects of drug use and disseminates this information to practitioners, pharmacists, and others who make de
Pharmacopoeias Rockville,_Maryland