The Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan have obtained observer status by the European Pharmacopoeia Commission. The decision was voted unanimously by the delegates from the member countries during the June session and allows collaborations to develop between the authorities of the two countries, EDQM informed Pharmabiz.

The EDQM has as a mission to protect and promote public and animal health, through the elaboration of quality standards of medicines for human and veterinary use. Medicines need to be safe, effective and of good quality in order to produce the expected therapeutic effect. The EDQM works closely with its international and European partners to strengthen measures to ensure that substandard or counterfeit medicines do not reach the market place.

The Republic of Kazakhstan is also keen to participate in the work of the European Pharmacopoeia and to share information and experiences to ensure the quality control of medicines and protect public health in its country.

There are currently thirty-six members of the European Pharmacopoeia Commission including Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, 'the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.

It has at present twenty observers including six in Europe: Albania, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russia and Ukraine; thirteen other countries in the world: Algeria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Israel, Madagascar, Malaysia, Morocco, Senegal, Syria, Tunisia, United States of America in addition to WHO.

The Convention on the Elaboration of a European Pharmacopoeia is an international Convention drafted by the Council of Europe in 1964. It has the objective of progressively elaborating in Europe a pharmacopoeia that is common to all the member states and which defines a single set of specifications that will become the official standards applicable within these countries for active substances and excipients used in medicines; the European Pharmacopoeia also describes test methods to ensure the quality of these medicines.