The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) and the University of Macau’s (UM) State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine (QRCM Lab) signed an agreement on the joint establishment of the USP Collaborating Laboratory in Testing and Method Development on Wednesday 7 November. It is the first time that USP has collaborated with a higher education institution in establishing quality standards for Chinese medicine.

USP is a nonprofit organisation that sets standards for the identity, strength, quality, and purity of medicines, food ingredients, and dietary supplements manufactured, distributed and consumed worldwide. It has published more than thirty-six editions of US Pharmacopeia since its founding in 1820. USP’s drug standards are enforceable in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and are implemented as legal standards in more than forty countries. It has a significant influence and high credibility worldwide in the field of quality control for drugs and healthcare products.

In recent years, consumption of herbal products and Chinese medicines (CMs) in the US and other western countries has increased remarkably, which presents a pressing need for the development and updating of related quality standards. Prof. Li Shaoping, deputy director of SKL-QRCM-UM and the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences (ICMS), started contacting and liaising with the USP after attending as an invited speaker at the second International Forum on Rapid Drug Testing and the third China-US Joint Symposium on Pharmaceutical Analytical Technology and Compendial Methods. The common view on quality standards for CMs prompted Prof. Li to visit USP-China and USP’s headquarters, during which Prof. Li’s presentation entitled “Win-Win Collaboration to Improve Quality Control of Chinese Medicine” won recognition from USP’s manage team, and reinforced USP’s confidence in further collaboration with UM. Both sides then held fruitful meetings in February and June, which led to the signing of an agreement on the joint establishment of a laboratory.

Dr. Tse Chi-Wai, chair of UM’s University Council; Prof. Wang Yitao, director of the QRCM Lab and ICMS; Prof. Li Shaoping, deputy director of the QRCM Lab and ICMS; Dr. John Hu, vice president of International, USP and general manager of USP-China; and Mr. Liu Jie, standard acquisition manager of USP-China attended the ceremony. Professors and experts attending the first Conference on Chinese Innovative Medicines also witnessed the signing ceremony. 

 

Should you have any inquiries about the press release, please feel free to contact Ms. Kay Lai at（853）8397 4325 or  kaylai@um.edu.mo or visit UM webpage www.umac.mo.