The
United States Pharmacopeia (
USP) is a
pharmacopeia (compendium of
drug information) for the
United States published annually by the
United States Pharmacopoeial Convention (usually also called the USP), a nonprofit organization that owns the
trademark and
copyright. The USP is published in a combined volume with the National Formulary (a
formulary) as the
USP-NF. If a drug ingredient or drug product has an applicable USP quality standard (in the form of a USP-NF monograph), it must conform in order to use the designation "USP" or "NF." Drugs subject to USP standards include both human drugs (
prescription,
over-the-counter, or otherwise), as well as animal drugs. USP-NF standards also have a role in U.S. federal law; a drug or drug ingredient with a name recognized in USP-NF is deemed adulterated if it does not satisfy compendial standards for strength, quality or purity. USP also sets standards for
dietary supplements, and food ingredients (as part of the
Food Chemicals Codex). USP has no role in enforcing its standards; enforcement is the responsibility of FDA and other government authorities in the U.S. and elsewhere.