[vague][citation needed] The U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) was formed in 1820 when 11 physicians came together to take action to protect patients from being harmed by the inconsistent and poor-quality medical preparations at that time.
The first standards were "recipes" that guided the preparation of medicines, which were often manufactured in apothecaries relying heavily on crude botanical drugs having therapeutic activities.
These standards are used by regulatory agencies and manufacturers to help to ensure that these products are of the appropriate identity, as well as strength, quality, purity, and consistency.
The FCC is a compendium of standards used internationally for the quality and purity of food ingredients like preservatives, flavorings, colorings, and nutrients.
Products that meet the requirements of the program can display the USP Verified Dietary Supplement Mark on their labels.
PQM has four key objectives:[11] USP-USAID collaborative efforts have helped communities improve drug quality in more than 35 countries.
In recent years, USP signed a series of Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with groups including the Pharmacopeia of the People's Republic of China Chinese Pharmacopeia Commission, nine countries belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Federal Service on Surveillance in Healthcare and Social Development of the Russian Federation (Roszdravnadzor).