Rebecca Wright01.20.07
United States Pharmacopeia (USP), Rockville, MD, has formed a collaboration with the Therapeutic Research Center and Consumer Reports to include its USP Verified Mark in their nationally recognized online health databases: Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database and ConsumerReportsMedicalGuide.org. The mark will appear next to dietary supplement products that have passed USP's verification process.
"Health professionals and consumers rely on these well-known databases for providing important information on the quality of medicines and dietary supplements," said Roger L. Williams, M.D., USP executive vice president and CEO.
Inclusion of the distinctive green and gold USP Verified Mark in the databases provides health professionals and consumers with an additional means of identifying supplements that have met USP's testing requirements for purity, potency, and quality. Currently, consumers can find the mark on over 800 items on pharmacy and retail shelves throughout the U.S.
When someone sees the USP Verified Mark next to a brand name in the databases or on a label, they can be assured that the product:
* Contains the ingredients listed, in the declared strengths and amounts;
* Does not contain harmful levels of contaminants;
* Will break down and release ingredients in the body within a specified amount of time; and
* Has been manufactured under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).
The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, produced by the nonprofit Therapeutic Research Center, is a widely recognized and respected database used by pharmacists, researchers, and doctors for its evidence-based information on natural medicines. The USP Verified Mark appears next to qualifying dietary supplements on both the professional and consumer versions of this database.
Therapeutic Research Center shares its content with ConsumerReportsMedicalGuide.org, which features the USP Verified Mark next to supplements listed in its Natural Medicines Ratings section. An extension of the well-known Consumer Reports product guides created by the nonprofit Consumers Union, this subscription-based database contains product and safety information, including possible interactions, on over 18,000 natural medicines that are available without a prescription.
"Health professionals and consumers rely on these well-known databases for providing important information on the quality of medicines and dietary supplements," said Roger L. Williams, M.D., USP executive vice president and CEO.
Inclusion of the distinctive green and gold USP Verified Mark in the databases provides health professionals and consumers with an additional means of identifying supplements that have met USP's testing requirements for purity, potency, and quality. Currently, consumers can find the mark on over 800 items on pharmacy and retail shelves throughout the U.S.
When someone sees the USP Verified Mark next to a brand name in the databases or on a label, they can be assured that the product:
* Contains the ingredients listed, in the declared strengths and amounts;
* Does not contain harmful levels of contaminants;
* Will break down and release ingredients in the body within a specified amount of time; and
* Has been manufactured under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).
The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, produced by the nonprofit Therapeutic Research Center, is a widely recognized and respected database used by pharmacists, researchers, and doctors for its evidence-based information on natural medicines. The USP Verified Mark appears next to qualifying dietary supplements on both the professional and consumer versions of this database.
Therapeutic Research Center shares its content with ConsumerReportsMedicalGuide.org, which features the USP Verified Mark next to supplements listed in its Natural Medicines Ratings section. An extension of the well-known Consumer Reports product guides created by the nonprofit Consumers Union, this subscription-based database contains product and safety information, including possible interactions, on over 18,000 natural medicines that are available without a prescription.