HerbalEGram: Volume 5, Number 1, January 2008

The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) will open a new facility in Sao Paulo, Brazil in August 2008.¹ This will be the third international laboratory and office established by USP, with the others located in Shanghai, China, and Hyderabad, India in addition to a customer support office located in Basel, Switzerland.

“USP selected Brazil as the location for our latest international site because of the country's robust pharmaceutical industry and our strong working relationships with regulatory agencies and manufacturers there,” wrote John T. Fowler, chief global services officer for USP (e-mail, January 10, 2008). “USP’s Brazil facility will offer the same full range of laboratory activities provided by the USP’s headquarters in the US, and its India and China facilities.”

According to Fowler, this new facility will include a collaborative testing laboratory that will conduct USP verification testing and produce reference materials. USP’s verification programs allow companies that manufacture dietary supplements, and dietary supplement and pharmaceutical ingredients to have USP determine whether their products actually contain the ingredients listed on their labels (and in the declared amounts), are consistent in quality, are free of contaminants, and were created according to good manufacturing practices.² Approved companies can then display the “USP Verified” mark on their products. According to USP, having companies strive for this verification is a way for USP to pursue its mission to promote public health.³ A location in Brazil is also fitting for this mission, since, according to Fowler, USP-Brazil will also offer customized pharmacopeial education courses, as well as reach-out to the industry and stakeholders with USP’s customer relationship management and scientific activities.

“We feel that our work there, in partnership with Brazilian authorities and the pharmaceutical industry, will help to improve quality standards for pharmaceuticals and food ingredients, and thus advance the public health,” wrote Fowler.

USP is a public health organization that is the official US authority for the standards of drugs, dietary supplement ingredients, and other healthcare products.³ More information about USP is available at http://www.usp.org/.

—Kelly E. Saxton

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