The University of Macau’s (UM) State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicines (QRCM Lab) recently received a certificate of appreciation from the US Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) for the lab’s participation in the public standard-setting process and for supporting the USP’s mission to “improve global health through public standards and related programs that help ensure the quality, safety, and benefit of medicines and foods.”

UM is the first higher education institution to become USP’s partner in establishing quality standards for Chinese medicines, and the certificate of appreciation from USP shows international recognition of UM’s good work in Chinese medicines and in the development of international standards.

Headed by Prof. Li Shaoping, the QRCM Lab established a research team after the UM-USP collaborative lab was founded in November 2012. With new, tailor-made strategies, which meet the requirements of international quality standard setting, the team has developed efficient and practical methods for quality evaluation, and prepared related chemical standards and reference standard extracts for Chinese medicines. These works have passed peer reviews and have been published in top international journals in the field, including the Journal of Chromatography A and the Journal of Separation Sciences.

The team has participated in the establishment of USP quality standards for Chinese medicines including Panax notoginseng and Powdered Panax notoginseng. Related monographs will be included in the US Pharmacopeia after passing strict expert evaluation and public reviews. In addition, development of more standards for Chinese medicines such as Cordyceps sinensis is underway. 

Having reputable, authoritative and internationally recognised standards is the key to the globalisation and modernisation of Chinese medicines. The standards for drugs, dietary supplements and herbal medicines documented in the US Pharmacopeia are the national standards in the United States, and are used in more than 140 countries. The USP standards are among the highest standards in the world, and they play an important role in the quality control of drugs and healthcare products worldwide. USP has many standard monographs on herbal medicines (including Chinese medicines) and related preparations in published USP- Dietary Supplement Compendium (USP-DSC) and USP- Herbal Medicine Compendium (USP-HMC). In recent years USP is focusing more attention on herbal medicines. More monographs are being developed by USP and its global partners.



Should you have any inquiries about the information, please feel free to contact the Information Executives Ms.Lei or Ms Fok at(853)8397 4325 or  prs.media@um.edu.mo or visit UM webpage www.umac.mo.