The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is a nonprofit scientific organization established by a group of physicians in 1820 to protect the public’s health through the implementation of science-based standards for medicines. A pharmacopeia is defined as a compendium of drug information. The USP comprises Expert Committees of volunteer experts that focus on specific areas, such as drugs, dietary supplements and food, to improve health. To ensure that the integrity of medication is not compromised and that medications consumed by the public are safe, Congress declared in the 1938 Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act that all medications compounded or dispensed in the U.S. must comply with USP standards.