Pharmacopoeia means ″drug-making″ or ″to make a drug″. This word derives from the ancient Greek (pharmakopoiia), from (pharmako) ″drug″, followed by the verb-stem (poi) ″make″ and finally the abstract noun ending (-ia). Pharmacopoeia is an official publication describing drugs, chemicals, and medicinal preparations as well as containing directions of compound identification. 

Although the earliest work presenting medical knowledge and herbal remedies may date back more than 3000 years to ancient Egypt, it was De Materia Medica, which appeared in the 1st century CE in Greece and Rome that perhaps represents the first example of a "pharmacopoeia". This treatise on medical matters compiled herbal remedies known at the time, along with their methods of preparation. So far, there are currently as many as 40 pharmacopoeias published around the world, each with its own rich and unique history, while sharing a common goal of providing quality standards for medicines to benefit patients. 

Modern official pharmacopoeias include the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.), the British Pharmacopoeia (BP), and the Japanese Pharmacopoeia (JP), among others.

Chemical substances in modern official pharmacopoeias must be pure, have consistent quality and standards, and have specific uses in drug manufacturing. Chemical substances in pharmacopoeias must meet specific quality standards, including identification, purity, impurities, content, solubility, heavy metal content, microbial limits, and other specific physical and chemical characteristics. These standards help ensure that the chemical substances used in drug manufacturing are safe and effective.

At Tosun Pharmaceutical Limited we have collected the standards you need from the most prestigious Pharmacopoeias:

• The United States Pharmacopoeia (USP)
• The European Pharmacopoeia (EP)
• The British Pharmacopoeia (BP)
• The People's Republic of China Pharmacopoeia (CP)
• The Japanese Pharmacopoeia (JP)

These products are mainly used in Quality Control and R&D laboratories. From these standards and following the instructions in the monographs or chapters of each Pharmacopoeia, a product can be quantified or identified.