The British Pharmacopoeia and coronavirus (COVID-19)
During the COVID-19 outbreak the BP is committed to keeping our users updated and supporting the wider healthcare response. We will be making regular updates to this page.
Products and services
All our products and services are currently available, including the BP publications and the BPCRS. Whilst our staff based in central London are now working remotely, our laboratories remain open.
Shipment of BPCRS products are currently not significantly impacted. We are prioritising work to ensure that our website and processing orders of the BPCRS can continue uninterrupted.
Free access to supportive pharmacopoeial texts
The BP and the European Pharmacopoeia have worked together to make supportive pharmacopoeial texts (monographs, general chapters, appendices and supplementary chapters) available for a limited period of time at no cost to users. This is to support those developing, manufacturing or testing these substances and products during this challenging period. These texts will be kept under review and updated and withdrawn as required.
- The BP supportive pharmacopoeial texts includes content drawn from the BP 2020, incorporating European Pharmacopoeia texts. Please register to download the BP supportive pharmacopoeial texts. If you have already registered, click here to download the BP supportive pharmacopoeial texts.
- Find out how to use the BP.
- The European Pharmacopoeia supportive pharmacopoeial texts includes content drawn from the 10th Edition, including supplement 10.1. Access the European Pharmacopoeia supportive pharmacopoeial texts
International Collaboration
The BP works with pharmacopoeias globally through the World Health Organisation's (WHO) International Meeting of World Pharmacopoeias (IMWP). Following the initiation of a global pharmacopoeial alert, pharmacopoeias have worked together to support the public health response. This has included identifying existing pharmacopoeial monographs for medicinal substances and products under investigation for the treatment of COVID-19. The WHO update and list of standards can be found on the IMWP website.
The IMWP have produced non-mandatory monographs for Favipiravir and Favipiravir Tablets as a resource to aid independent users in their assurance of medicine quality.
IMWP Monographs on Favipiravir and on Favipiravir tablets
Meetings and advisory groups
All our meetings, including the British Pharmacopoeia Commission, Expert Advisory Groups, Expert Panels and Working Parties are now being held remotely. If you are involved in our work, you will be contacted by the BP Secretariat directly with further instructions.
Important changes to ordering BPCRS
Customers who are ordering any BPCRS which are classified as controlled drugs or precursor chemicals need to:
- Scan your import permit and email it, along with your website order reference, to bpcrs@mhra.gov.uk
- Send the original to the below address
Operations Manager
The MHRA Laboratories
Health Science and Innovation
LGC
Queens Road
Teddington
Middlesex
TW11 0LY
UK
This will help us to minimise delays in processing your order.
We want to make sure that existing BPCRS customers with an active account on pharmacopoeia.com can order the products they need. As such, we have put the following changes in place to ensure the quick, reliable and fair supply of the chemical reference standards listed in the tables below.
- A limit of 5 or less vials per customer, per order for the products listed below.
- The time allowed between maximum (repeated) orders is 30 days (e.g. 5 or 2 vials in a 30-day period).
- Distributors will be asked to demonstrate that orders exceeding the maximum amount are on behalf of individual customers.
- The list below is subject to change.
We appreciate your continued cooperation during this period and should you need to contact us further about these changes please email bpcrs@mhra.gov.uk.
The chemical reference substances listed below have been restricted to 5 vials per customer to ensure supply of these standards. The list below is subject to change.
Catalogue Number | Name | Update |
198 | HYOSCINE BUTYLBROMIDE | 27/01/2021 |
698 | PROPOFOL DIMER | 08/02/2021 |
1110 | GLYCOPYRRONIUM BROMIDE | 17/02/2021 |
The chemical reference substances listed below have been restricted to 2 vials per customer to ensure supply of this standard. The list below is subject to change.
Catalogue Number | Name | Update |
226 | METARAMINOL TARTRATE | 14/05/2021 |
333 | TOBRAMYCIN | 11/02/2021 |
781 | ERTHROMYCIN | 29/07/2021 |
833 | CLARITHROMYCIN | 15/07/2021 |
The chemical reference substances listed below have been restricted to 1 vial per customer to ensure supply of this standard. The list below is subject to change.
Catalogue Number | Name | Update |
376 |
6-CHLORO-4-(2-CHLOROPHENYL) -QUINAZOLINE-2-CARBOXALDEHYDE |
08/02/2021 |
576 | HYDROCORTISONE | 17/12/2020 |
717 | PSEUDOMORPHINE TRIHYDRATE | 17/03/2021 |
730 | N-DESALKYLFLURAZEPAM | 17/12/2020 |
1031 | PROPOFOL | 07/05/2021 |
The chemical reference substances listed below have been removed from the list and no longer on the restricted list.
Catalogue Number | Name | Update | |
21 | AMPICILLIN TRIHYDRATE | 23/12/2020 | |
41 | BETAMETHASONE SODIUM PHOSPHATE | 30/07/2020 | |
61 | CEFALEXIN | 02/09/2020 | |
89 | CLOXACILLIN SODIUM | 13/01/2021 | |
90 | CODEINE PHOSPHATE | 08/01/2021 | |
431 | DIHYDROCODEINE TARTRATE | 03/09/2021 | |
479 | BUPIVACAINE HYDROCHLORIDE | 14/12/2020 | |
532 | AMIODARONE HYDROCHLORIDE | 02/09/2020 | |
575 | BETAMETHASONE | 13/01/2021 | |
578 | DEXAMETHASONE | 11/02/2021 | |
665 | FENTANYL CITRATE | 21/05/2021 | |
806 | ONDANSETRON IMPURITY STANDARD | 08/10/2020 | |
1032 | PROPOFOL IMPURITY J | 29/10/2020 | |
1058 | BISOPROLOL FUMARATE | 24/06/2020 |
Supporting the response to COVID-19
The British Pharmacopoeia, as part of the MHRA, is working closely with DHSC and other healthcare partners on COVID-19. As we develop our role in the response, we will provide updates to our users.
Contact
If you have any queries related to our work and COVID-19 please contact us by email: bpcom@mhra.gov.uk.
Guidance from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on COVID-19:
- Find out more about the MHRA guidance for industry covering the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
- Find out about the status of MHRA services during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) response.