History of Pharmacopoeia

History of Pharmacopoeia

Ø  Pharmacopoeia is an official book in pharmacy which is published by the Government authority.

Ø  Pharmacopoeia consists of various monograph of pharmaceutical substances or drugs.

Ø  Various Pharmacopoeias are published by various Government authority. For examples

Indian Pharmacopoeia(IP), US Pharmacopoeia(USP), British Pharmacopoeia (BP), European Pharmacopoeia, Japanese Pharmacopoeia etc.  

Ø  The history of IP began in the year 1833 when a committee of the East India company’s dispensary recommended the publication of Pharmacopoeia and general conspectus of medicinal plants were published in 1844.

Ø  This was followed by IP 1868, which covered both the drugs of BP 1867 and indigenous drugs and plants.

Ø  Then Drugs Enquiry Committee was appointed in 1927 by the government recommended the publication of a National Pharmacopoeia.

Ø   After independence an Indian Pharmacopoeia Committee was constituted in 1948, which prepared the Pharmacopoeia of India (The Indian Pharmacopoeia) 1955. A Supplement to it was published in 1960.

Ø  The Indian Pharmacopoeia is published by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Committee (IPC) on behalf of the Government of India, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

Ø  The IPC is a Society under the provisions of the Societies Registration Act, 1860 (Act No. 21) for the registration of Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies.

Ø  The functioning of the Commission is governed by the provisions of the approved Memorandum of Association, Rules and Regulations of the IPC.

Ø  The Commission has set up its headquarters in the campus of the Central Indian Pharmacopoeia Laboratory (CIPL), Ghaziabad, UP. The Director CIPL, also functions as the Secretary-cum-Scientific Director of the IPC.

Ø  The Indian Pharmacopoeia is being produced in fulfillment of the requirement in the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 of standards of drugs produced in India and it contributes significantly in the control of the quality of medicinal products.

Ø  The standards of this pharmacopoeia are legally enforceable and are intended to help in the licensing and inspection processes.

Ø  This pharmacopoeia contained western and also traditional drugs, and the same policy continued while preparing the Pharmacopoeia of India 1966 and its 1975 Supplement.

Ø  In the Pharmacopoeia of India 1985 and its Addenda 1989 and 1991, traditional drugs were not included as publication of a pharmacopoeia of traditional system drugs was taken up separately and only those herbal drugs were included which had supporting definitive quality control standards.

Ø  In the period since the publication of the 1985 Edition there has been a significant increase in the range of drugs produced in India. Keeping this in mind the Committee has deleted or added monographs on a system of priorities based on the medical merit and the extent of use of any given article in the country in its following 1996 Edition and its addenda in 2000, 2002, 2005 and one supplement for Veterinary Products in 2002.

Ø  The Indian Pharmacopoeia 2007 has been prepared in accordance with the principles and designed plan decided by the Scientific Body of the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission The General Notices, Monographs and new testing methods, etc. based on the introduction of advanced technology and experimental methods widely adopted in India and abroad are being added and updated.

Ø  The contents of Appendices are revised by and large in consonance with those nowadays adopted internationally for monitoring the quality of the drugs.

Ø  The number of monographs in Appendices are expanded further to incorporate the latest technological advances and complies with regulatory requirements.

Ø  IP-2010 – 4 volumes

Ø  IP-2012

Ø  The new seventh edition IP 2014 includes advanced technology and experimental methods widely adopted in India and abroad.

Ø  The IP 2014 is presented in four volumes which include products of biotechnology, indigenous herbs and herbal products, veterinary vaccines and additional antiretroviral drugs and formulations.

Ø  It incorporates 2548 monographs of drugs out of which 577 are new monographs and 19 New Radiopharmaceutical Monographs and 1 General chapter is first time being included in this edition.