18201890

1820
The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention founded in Washington, DC. All state societies of medicine invited to
send delegates11 attended. USP creates a system of standards, and a national formulary. Only 217 drugs
meeting the criteria of "most fully established and best understood" admitted. Dr. Lyman Spalding, Dr. Samuel
Mitchill and Dr. Jacob Bigelow credited with establishing the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) compendium.
1830
Committee of Revision created (seven members). First revision of the USP published; revisions continue at
10-year intervals. Surgeons General of U.S. Army and Navy became first federal agencies to participate in
USP revision.
1848
Drug Import Act passed. Federal legislation recognizes the USP as an official compendium.
1850
Colleges of pharmacy invited to participate in revision of the USP.
1880
Charles Rice elected chairman of the Committee of Revision, and soon initiates efforts to modernize USP
monographs and methods. Clara Marshall appointed the first woman member of the USP Convention.
1888
First National Formulary (NF) published by the American Pharmacists Association.

1900

USPincorporatedinWashington,DC,asanotforprofitcorporation.USPConventionandBoardofTrusteescreated.
1906
FederalFoodandDrugsActpassed.USPandNFstandardsforstrength,quality,andpurityrecognizedasofficial.
1932
TheUSPReferenceStandardsprogramsucceededFDA'sshortlivedprogramwithstandardsforVitaminAandD
contentincodliveroil.
1938
FederalFood,Drug,andCosmeticActpassed.USPandNFstandardsforstrength,quality,purity,packaging,and
labelingrecognizedasofficialandenforcedbyFDA."NewDrug"conceptestablished.FDAapprovesdrugsforsafety
beforemarketing.
1942
USPrevisioncyclechanged;USPpublishedeveryfiveyears.USPcontinuesinternationalactivitieswhichbeganin
earnestintheearly1900s.
1949
USPBoardappointsLloydMiller,Ph.D.,toserveasDirectorofRevisionin1949,makinghimUSP'sfirstsalaried
employee.
1950
Afteryearsofworkingoutofthehomesofitsvolunteers,USPpurchaseditfirstbuildingonParkAvenueinNewYork
City,NY.

1963
First United States Adopted Names (USAN) cumulative list published.

1964
United States Adopted Names Council formed by American Medical Association, USP and the American
Pharmacists Association (APhA).
1970
Position of executive director created, filled by William M. Heller, Ph.D. USP Convention adopts resolution
calling for information to be provided to dispensers of drugs in United States.
1971
USP moves to Rockville, MD, USA.
1975
USP acquires National Formulary and Drug Standards Laboratory from APhA.

1977
USP and NF scope redefined: USP specifies standards for drug substances and dosage forms; NF specifies
standards for excipients.

1980
USP and NF published under same cover; USP Dispensing Information (USP DI) published.
1990
Jerome A. Halperin becomes USP executive director (title later changed to executive vice president and chief
executive officer (CEO)) at the 1990 USP Convention. USP Members adopt a resolution to explore
establishing standards for vitamins and minerals.
1992
USP begins long-term collaboration with USAID.
1993
Federal Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Acts (OBRA '90 and '93) name USP DI as source of information that
state Medicaid agencies can use for drug utilization review, patient counseling, and medically accepted offlabel uses of medicines.
1994
USP signs an agreement with the American Medical Association to combine the information in AMA's Drug
Evaluations database with the USP DI database to develop a single product that contains drug and
therapeutic information.
1995
USP members adopt a resolution to explore establishing standards for botanical dietary supplements.

1998
USP licensed USP DI and associated products to The Thomson Company and USP DI is published by their
Micromedex subsidiary. The new Reference Standard Center opens. MedMarx, an Internet-accessible
medication errors reporting program for hospitals, is launched.
2000
Roger L. Williams, M.D., becomes USP executive vice president and CEO at the USP Convention in April.
Convention Members vote to change name of Committee of Revision to Council of Experts. USP-USAID
collaborative efforts evolve into DQI, a program focused on improving the quality of medicines and their
appropriate uses in resource-limited countries.
2001
USP launches the Dietary Supplement Verification Program.
2002
USPNF published annually.
2004
USP and the Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission collaborate on hosting first joint symposium in China to
discuss key scientific and pharmacopeial topics.
2005
USP opens office in Basel, Switzerland. USP signs Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Chinese
Pharmacopoeia Commission.
2006
USP and the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission sign MOU to promote greater cooperation. USP opens first
international laboratory facility in Hyderabad, India. USP launches the Pharmaceutical Ingredient Verification
Program. USP acquires the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC) from the Institute of Medicine.
2007
USP opens office and laboratory facility in Shanghai, China. USP publishes USPNF as a three-volume set.
2008
USP inaugurates newly expanded site in Rockville, MD, USA. USP opens office and laboratory facility in So
Paulo, Brazil. USP licenses MedMarx to Quantros.
2009
USP publishes the USP Dietary Supplements Compendium. First Russian edition of USPNF published.
2010
Pharmacopeial Forum transitions to a free online resource. Dr. Margaret Hamburg, US FDA Commissioner,
and Dr. Francis Collins, Director of NIH, address attendees at the 2010 USP Convention.

2011
USP completes a 100,000 sq. ft. expansion of its USPIndia site. USP creates the Medicines Compendium.
First USP Expert Committee established outside of the United States in India. USP/PQM registers in Ethiopia
as a nongovernmental organization.
2012
USP hosts the Pharmacopeial Discussion Group for the first time at USPU.S. USP granted observer status
by Codex Alimentarius Commission. USPNF translated into Chinese.
2013
USP introduces a new logo and tagline to celebrate and emphasize the global scope of our work. Learn more
about these updates and their significance.
USP inaugurates the first satellite site of the USP Spectral Library Global Laboratory Network. USP creates
the Herbal Medicines Compendium. The Center for Pharmaceutical Advancement and Training (CePAT)
opens in Accra, Ghana.
2014
USPChina site expands to a 95,000 sq. ft. facility with state-of-the-art laboratories. FCC translation into
Chinese released. Ronald T. Piervincenzi, Ph.D., becomes new USP CEO.