The US Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) has started two weeks international exchange programme on public quality standards for medicines and foods at USP headquarters in Rockville, Maryland USA. The international event that began on June 17 is scheduled to continue till June 28, 2013.

The main objective of this Public Quality standards exchange programme is to create a learning platform and to bring awareness among the international community about the processes and standards-setting activities of USP for chemical and biological medicines.

The International exchange programme on quality standards for medicines is designed not only to focus allopathic medicines but also focuses quality standards for herbal medicines, dietary supplements and foods.

The International Training Programme (ITP) is a unique opportunity not only for countries interested in improving their health systems and regulatory framework, but also for USP to expand its understanding of regulatory and compendial issues from an international perspective. “Public standards are critically important to help ensure the quality of all medicines,” said Roger L Williams, MD, chief executive officer of USP.

The programme (ITP) is attracting representatives from 17 international regulatory and enforcement agencies and national reference laboratories from across the world. Delegations from countries in the middle east, Africa, Russia and the former Soviet Republics are taking part and spending two weeks till  June 28 at USP headquarters. The programme is basically aimed at providing learning base about USP processes and standards-setting activities.

Speakers from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Dietary Supplements, and USP have been roped in to address key issues of enforcement and scientific aspects of implementing public standards, and how the global market is influencing the regulation of medicines and dietary supplements, as well as healthcare quality and safety, quality assurance, and global health programmes.

“With manufacture and commercialisation increasingly crossing borders in the international landscape, it is important to consider the need to exchange information with other regulatory and scientific organizations around the globe,” said Fahad Ibrahim Al-Jenoobi, Ph.D., executive director for the Product Evaluation and Standards Setting division of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority.

USP is always one step ahead contributing to improving health systems by providing the opportunity and to openly discuss the issues involved in supplying good quality medicines.