EUROPEAN PHARMACOPOEIA

An official book of standards adopted by Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium is European Pharmacopoeia. In July 1964, the council of Europe issued an order, to frame out European Pharmacopoeia. 1969 onwards in the respective member countries it was appeared as official standard book for medicinal substances and other drugs. Later on it was revised continuously to keep the information up to date.

The European Pharmacopoeia is developed by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines (EDQM) and is a part of the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France.

• •1st edition – published 1967
• •2nd edition – published 1980
• •3rd edition – published 1997
• •4th edition – published 2001, valid from 1.1.2002
• •5th edition – published 15.6.2004, valid from 1.1.2005
• •6th edition – published 16 July 2007, valid from 1.1.2008

PHARMACOPOEIA INTERNATIONALS (INTERNATIONAL PHARMACOPOEIA)

The International Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Int.) is published by WHO.

In various countries there are no uniformity in terminology and strengths of pharmaceutical preparations used. In the year 1874, a view had been expressed that some world uniformity in the standards for potent drugs must necessary to overcome various problems. These views got further support in second international conference held in 1925 where an international agreement on the Unification of formulae for seventy seven potent drugs and preparations got  reached.  In  1936  the  Health  Organization of  the  League  of  Nations  established a technical commission of Pharmacopoeial experts. The work was undertaken by the WHO after the World War II which was ended in 1946.

Finally volume I of the long awaited International Pharmacopoeia was published in 1951 by Latin with translation into English and French.  This International Pharmacopoeia contains monographs for over two hundred drugs and chemicals, with appendices on reagents tests and biological assays. Latter in the year  1955 the  second volume was  published which contains formulae for  preparations having various drugs and substances already present in volume I. In 1959 the supplement for first edition was released with incorporation of some newer drugs and substances with its method of preparations and the appropriate tests.

In 1967 the second edition of International Pharmacopoeia got published, followed by a supplement in 1971. Third edition of International Pharmacopoeia was published in the form of several volumes, in which volume I appeared in 1979.