USP and Shanghai Institute Enter into Memorandum of Intent

PharmaManufacturing.com
06/11/2007

The U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) and the Shanghai Institute for Food and Drug Control (SIFDC) have entered into a Memorandum of Intent (MOI).

The objectives of the MOI are to:

• Increase awareness of the importance of the quality, safety, and efficacy of medicines;
• Promote cooperation between USP and SIFDC;
• Establish a basis for and mechanisms of cooperation between USP and SIFDC; and
• Identify areas of mutual interest and potential collaboration.

"USP is committed to working to ensure quality pharmaceutical care for people around the globe,” says Roger L. Williams, executive vice president and CEO of USP. "Collaborating with nations like China on standards-setting activities is an important part of this mission.”

Potential areas of collaboration include:

• Coordinating efforts to offer joint regional scientific conferences, workshops, and/or educational courses on topics of mutual interest in both countries;
• Promoting the exchange of expertise and joint research on applied compendial science of mutual interest in areas that may include chemical, herbal, biological and dietary supplement ingredients and products; and
• Promoting the exchange of scientific staff.

In addition, SIFDC will participate in the collaborative testing of USP reference material bulk candidates and USP will provide training and qualify the SIFDC laboratory to participate in collaborative testing. USP also will provide the opportunity for SIFDC to nominate Chinese scientists, healthcare practitioners, educators and others to its Council of Experts, the body that makes USP's scientific and standards-setting decisions. Members of the council are elected by the USP Convention membership.

For more information, please send an email to mediarelations@usp.org.