About the U.S. Pharmacopeia

About the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP)

USP is an independent, scientific nonprofit organization focused on building trust in the supply of safe, quality medicines. We are working to strengthen the global supply chain so that the medicines people rely on for health are available when needed and work as expected.

For over 200 years, USP has worked to build trust where it matters most: in the world's medicines, dietary supplements and foods. Through our rigorous science and the public quality standards we set, USP helps protect patient safety and improve the health of people around the world.

Our History and Our Future

History of USP

USP has been building trust in medicine for over 200 years.

See a timeline of our impact

Leadership

USP was founded by independent experts – eleven physicians who saw a problem and used science to fix it. Today, USP is still led by experts and those experts remain driven to solve public health problems through science and innovation.

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Careers

USP is committed to fostering a workplace culture that promotes career growth, innovation, leadership, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. We have been recognized as one of the best places to work in Biopharma.

Explore careers at USP

Governance

USP is governed by three bodies composed entirely of volunteers from around the world: the USP Convention membership, the Board of Trustees, and the Council of Experts and its Expert Committees.

USP Convention Membership

With a mission to improve global health through public standards, it’s essential that USP be guided by broad and diverse perspectives. From the thousands of expert volunteers who have given their time to develop USP standards to the nearly 450 Convention Member Organizations committed to helping shape USP’s areas of focus, USP always prioritizes an independent and collaborative approach to its work.

To this end, the Convention Membership represents perspectives, experiences, and expertise from across healthcare and science and from around the globe. Member Organizations are vital to USP’s ability to sustain its pivotal role in building trust where it matters most: in the world’s medicines, dietary supplements, and foods.

Board of Trustees

USP’s work is critical, complex, and rapidly evolving. Our Board of Trustees, responsible for USP’s sustainability, is comprised of experienced leaders and respected experts. Together they provide guidance and oversight that help sustain and expand USP’s impact on public health.

Council of Experts and its Expert Committees

USP standards are essential to supporting a more resilient supply of quality medicines. It’s the Council of Experts that oversees USP’s scientific and standards-setting decisions, each chairing one of USP’s Expert Committees. These leaders from around the world contribute their time, expertise, and passion to helping advance USP’s mission.

Featured Solutions

Learn about USP’s portfolio of solutions to help address quality assurance, enhance regulatory predictability, and help manufacturers distribute quality medicines, dietary supplements and foods.

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USP Official Reference Standards

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Medicine Supply Map

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Pharmaceutical Analytical Impurities

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USP Asian SouthEast & East Affinity Network (ASEEAN) empowers members to bring their authentic selves to work and serves as a safe space for open and purposeful discussions. Through its impactful programming, U-ASEEAN addresses challenges faced by the Asian community and the importance of allyship to strengthen our workplace culture. UASEEAN also celebrates the contributions of employees of Southeast and East Asian heritage at USP, provides a platform for continuous learning and growth, and enables a support system that promotes community and resilience.

Diverse Minds & Bodies brings together staff with a range of visible and non-visible disabilities, including physical, emotional, and mental impairments (permanent, chronic, and temporary), neurodiversity, and body diversity. Members and allies provide a network with global reach to increase awareness and understanding that empowers all individuals with physical, neuropsychological, cognitive, mood and mental differences to bring their whole, authentic selves to work without fear.

The eQuality Alliance fosters a workplace environment that is inclusive and supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. The eQuality Alliance works to: (i) raise awareness of LGBTQ+ issues in and out of the workplace; (ii) be a change catalyst that will help people respect and value differences; and (iii) promote professional development opportunities for its members, thus strengthening USP's people and quality capabilities to ensure long-term impact.

Honoring ALL that Serve (HATS) is a global community of veterans, military members, their families, and supporters that celebrates, recognizes, and supports military communities. As an organization, HATS is cognizant of service members' contributions and those of their family members through honor, courage, sacrifice, and service. HATS’ goal is to learn from and connect with the community and culture of our global Armed Services institutions.

Interfaith Alliance Membership(IAM) recognizes and celebrates the diversity of faiths practiced by staff globally. IAM provides opportunities to demonstrate our shared love of community through education, celebrations of holidays and life events, and support, and provides opportunities to perform charitable acts in the community. IAM also promotes respect, understanding, cooperation, and appreciation for the many faith traditions within our organization that inspire and teach us to support one another.

Latinx Integration working with Values and advocating for Excellence (LIVE!) creates a safe space for USP’s Latinx community and its allies with the intent on sharing the diverse cultures of Latinx countries and their individual voices to enhance our support and contribution to USP’s global mission, DEIB strategy and commitment.

The Science Working Group (SWG) centers on building community by bringing together USP’s scientists and staff working in the Science division in a safe space to increase awareness, education, and its positive impact on our society, thus creating career pathways in science.

USP Black Employees Building Organizations of Leadership and Diversity (U-BE BOLD), with chapters in the United States and Ghana, promotes the professional development and advancement of Black employees at USP through networking, education, mentoring, and forums, while promoting cultural awareness of all people of African descent.

USP – Global Women’s Network (UGWN), with chapters in the United States and India, is a forum for women and their allies to connect, support, energize, advocate and problem solve with one another to create positive momentum in how we work and function as equitable contributors who add value to the organization