United States Pharmacopeia and National Formulary USP 30–NF 25; United Pharmacopeial Convention

The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is an private, nonprofit body of 300 delegates representing state and national associations and colleges of medicine, nursing, and pharmacy; industry; and agencies of the federal government. Incorporated in 1900, the purposes of USP are to set standards for health care products in the U.S. and to collect and disseminate product use information to providers and consumers.

Every five years, USP publishes revised standards for drugs in The United States Pharmacopeia and The National Formulary. These standards are recognized as official by the federal government and are enforceable by the FDA. The standards include specifications pertaining to drug strength, quality, purity, packaging, and labeling.

USP provides official drug reference standards, which are highly characterized specimens of drugs, impurities, and degradation products. USP laboratories test and monitor these standards, and develop analytical procedures and tests of proposed revisions of tests and assays. USP publications include USP DI Volume I: Drug Information for the Health Care Provider and USP DI Volume II: Advice for the Patient. Other publications are the consumer edition of the reference volumes About Your Medicines, the bimonthly newsletter About Your Medicines, and various brochures and books.