The ‘Pharmacopoeia’ is a legal and official book of standards for drugs prepared by any country or regulatory body to specify the standards of identity, purity and strength for the drugs imported, manufactured or distributed throughout the country or a specific region. It is a book containing the collection of monographs and published by an authorized body like government or pharmaceutical society. All the countries of the world have their own National Pharmacopoeia, such as Indian Pharmacopoeia, British Pharmacopoeia, United State Pharmacopoeia, European Pharmacopoeia, International Pharmacopoeia etc.This blog will focus on the history and function and the features of Indian Pharmacopoeia.
THE INDIAN PHARMACOPOEIA
The term ‘Pharmacopoeia’ has been derived from the Greek words Pharmakonmeaning ‘drug’ and Poeiameaning ‘to make’. A Pharmacopoeia is a book of standards for drugs and their pharmaceutical preparations, articles and devices giving description, tests and standards to which they must conform. A National Pharmacopoeia is generally a legal and official book issued by recognized authorities appointed by the government of that country. All the advanced countries and a large number of developing countries of the world have their own National Pharmacopoeia, such as Indian Pharmacopoeia, British Pharmacopoeia, United State Pharmacopoeia, European Pharmacopoeia, International Pharmacopoeia etc.
The basic objective of Pharmacopoeia is to promote healthcare by establishing and providing standards of quality and authoritative information for the use of medicine and related articles. A Pharmacopoeia also facilitates the regulation of drug-trade by Drug Control Authorities. It contains monographs on drugs and drug products which provide standard tests for identity, purity, strength, quality and analysis of drugs.
The Indian Pharmacopoeia:
The Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) is a statutory book of standards under the Drugs and Cosmetic Act, 1940 of the government of India. All Pharmaceutical manufacturers and persons dealing with drugs have to conform to the relevant standards of the Indian Pharmacopoeia.
Sucheta Sarkar(Assistant Professor, NSMS Institute of Pharmacy)