What's New

March DQI Update: Liberia finalizes new drug regulations, Russia/NIS study looks at prescribing, DQI provides data for INTERPOL, and more.

USP DQI offers new service: Dossier prep for anti–TB medicines

Counterfeit Medicines in the Mekong Region:
Public service announcements produced by Living Films and USP DQI with financing from the USAID Cambodia Mission and the Regional Development Mission for Asia.

Pharmacide:
WMV (17.6MB) or Quicktime (9.3MB)
Split Screen version:
WMV (4.4MB) or Quicktime (2.5MB)
Medicine seller version:
WMV (3.8MB) or Quicktime (2.1MB)
Warehouse version:
WMV (3.5MB) or Quicktime (2.0MB)

His Excellency Dr. Yim Yann, president of the Pharmacists' Association of Cambodia, urges Cambodian citizens to buy their medicines from a legal pharmacy to assure that they are getting a safe, good quality product.

Windows Media version (15MB)
Quicktime or other (13.2MB)

USP Drug Quality and Information Program

The USP Drug Quality and Information (USP DQI) Program, which is supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), focuses on the healthcare needs of people in developing countries. USP DQI has established a presence in USAID-priority countries on four continents advancing strategies to improve drug quality and the appropriate use of drugs. USP seeks to serve these regions by:

USP's commitment to quality public health has grown worldwide in scope. USP's status as a non-governmental, non-regulatory entity has been a tremendous asset, allowing the organization to reach out to international communities, build relationships, and serve as an unbiased resource for standards for the quality of medicines.

Fulfilling the need for quality and information

Quality assurance and objective drug information are essential to ensure positive, cost–effective outcomes from the use of pharmaceuticals. USP is in a unique position to provide both, through partnerships and policy dialogue on global issues, and through regional and national initiatives.

USP’s Drug Quality and Information (USP DQI) program, a cooperative agreement with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was a five–year contract initiated in October 2000. Through the experience and the success of the program, USP DQI has gained a better understanding of the health care needs of people in developing countries and its agreement was extended an additional five years. The USP DQI program, thus far, has established a presence in USAID–priority countries on four continents advancing strategies to improve drug quality and the appropriate use of drugs.

Ensuring Drug Quality: USP DQI imparts its expertise in the field of drug quality by working with local governments, USAID missions, the World Health Organization (WHO), and other partners to evaluate a country's readiness and capacity to provide necessary drug quality assurance. Trained pharmaceutical scientists perform assessments, address weaknesses that may be identified, and provide available tools and training to improve drug quality assurance in public and private sectors for national drug regulatory authorities, procurement organizations, manufacturers, and distributors.

Providing Continuing Education: USP DQI provides training for physicians, pharmacists, and nurses in drug information and pharmacovigilance to help improve drug dispensing and ensure competence and accountability.

Developing and Disseminating Evidence–based Drug and Therapeutic Information: Drawing upon the authoritative expertise of its scientific volunteers, USP DQI develops targeted drug and therapeutic information materials for health care providers based on specific needs. In addition, the program offers assistance in establishing and equipping local drug information centers by working with local academic, government, nongovernmental, and professional institutions.

Furnishing Technical Leadership toward Regional and International Cooperation: USP has a long tradition of convening and facilitating policy discussion through the organization's system of open conferences, Internet–based communications, and regular publications. The USP DQI staff who implement the program activities includes internationally trained doctors, scientists, chemists, drug and medical information specialists, and GMP experts with access to state–of–the–art laboratory technology and over 650 USP volunteer experts.