The British Pharmacopoeia (BP) 2026 edition is now legally effective
Published 2 January 2026
The British Pharmacopoeia (BP) 2026 edition from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) supersedes the BP 2025 and is now legally effective.
It includes approximately 4,000 monographs, which are legally enforced by the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. Medicinal products or active pharmaceutical ingredients sold or supplied in the UK must comply with the relevant monograph.
All monographs and requirements of the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) are reproduced in the BP, making the BP a convenient and fully comprehensive set of standards that can be used across Europe and internationally.
Hear from the BP's leadership team
(Opens in YouTube)
New for the BP 2026 edition
- 19 new BP monographs and 34 new monographs reproduced from the 11th edition of the Ph. Eur., as amended by issues 11.6 to 11.8
- 131 amended BP monographs
- All monographs from the Ph. Eur. 11th edition and Ph. Eur. issues up to 11.8
- The Ph. Eur. 12th edition, comprising issues 12.1, 12.2 and 12.3, included as in-year online and download updates
- Two new appendices, four supplementary chapters, and six new infrared reference spectra have been added to the collection
- 11 new BPCRS have been produced and referenced
BP online licence features
The updated platform enables you to manage favourites, set alerts, review your licence, explore BP and related content, and access additional linked resources.
For a quick overview of these features, please see the video below.
Purchase and format options
Packages
New for 2026: Customers can now create their own package to best suit their requirements, offering greater flexibility and value for money. This allows customers to combine products of their choosing at a discounted price per item.
When creating your product package, the following prices apply to each item (you can combine different formats or choose two of the same format):
- Single-user online licence: £600 per licence (saving £350 on the individual price)
- Download: £800 per licence (saving £200 on the individual price)
- Six-volume print version: £1,000 per copy (saving £200 on the individual price)
Optional add-ons include:
- BP Archive (from BP 2014 onwards): £100 per licence (saving £100 on the individual price)
- British Approved Names (BAN): £150 per licence
Instant online access
When purchasing a package with a digital format, a unique access code will be sent to your inbox, enabling access to the latest standards without the wait. *
Multi-user online licence
Flexible annual multi-user access options are available to suit every need – from licences that allow unlimited users within one country to share access (within licence restrictions), to global licences and academic licences for wider availability.*
Single-user online licence
A single-user online licence for BP 2026 costs £950 and provides access from 1 August 2025, giving you access to the standards through to 31 March 2027 – a total of 20 months.
Optional add-ons include:
- BP Archive (from BP 2014 onwards): £200 per licence
- British Approved Names (BAN): £150 per licence
A single-user licence grants access to one designated user and offers a flexible solution – ideal for individuals or smaller organisations. Multiple single-user licences can be purchased for small teams; this is a cost-effective solution for three or fewer users. For larger teams, a multi-user licence is recommended.
Download licence
A download licence costs £1,000 grants access for individuals who require reliable offline access. It includes integrated search tools, hyperlinks, and intuitive navigation, and can be installed on up to two devices per user. Three downloadable updates are released each year, in line with Ph. Eur.*
Six-volume print set
The six-volume print set costs £1,200 and remains an essential reference for professionals who require reliable, quick, and uninterrupted access to official standards.*
*Read important information about these products and their limits before purchasing.