Our Mission & Impact

USP—its more than 800 employees and more than 850 volunteers worldwide—is guided by the mission “to improve the health of people around the world through public standards and related programs that help ensure the quality, safety, and benefit of medicines and foods.”

Founded in 1820 by a group of 11 physicians in Washington, D.C., the United States Pharmacopeial Convention’s original purpose was to develop a much-needed national lexicon of drug names and formulas to help facilitate communication between physicians and pharmacists for medicines in the U.S. Since that time, USP’s focus on quality has expanded to new areas of medicine, pharmacy, patient care, dietary supplements, and foods. And our reach has extended beyond U.S. borders to countries around the world: We currently operate out of five international locations and our standards are used in more than 140 countries.

To learn more about USP’s vast impact and the many regions and people it reaches, visit the links below:

• About USP
• Global Presence: USP’s International Sites & Work
• USP History
• Products & Services: Publications, Reference Standards & More
• Legal Recognition & Working with the FDA
• Our Vision: Strategic Plan & Resolutions