Pharmaceutical Grade

A drug, biologic, or reagent that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in humans or animals or for which a chemical purity standard has been established by the United States Pharmacopeia-National Formulary (USP-NF), or British Pharmacopeia (BP). These standards are used by manufacturers to help ensure the products are of the appropriate chemical purity and quality, in the appropriate solution or compound, to ensure stability, safety, and efficacy. The FDA maintains a database listing approved commercial formulations for human drugs (the Orange Book) and veterinary drugs (the Green Book). For chemicals, a certificate of analysis is usually available upon request.