Quality standards

We require all suppliers included in the International Medical Products Price Guide  to complete a quality assurance questionnaire. The purpose of the mandatory questionnaire is to help ensure that the prices listed in this Guide are from reputable suppliers with established quality assurance processes in place.

The 28 questions, developed in collaboration with WHO Medicines Policy and Standards staff, address issues including inspection, testing, quality assurance, licensing, recalls, quality control procedures, standards, and documentation. Although this requirement provides some assurance of quality control processes, it does not necessarily guarantee the quality of the products listed. Copies of the questionnaire can be obtained from MSH on request.

The suppliers and buyers selected for this guide are not manufacturers, but they offer products which are stated to be in compliance with international quality standards specified by organizations such as the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), the British Pharmacopoeia (BP), and the European Pharmacopoeia (EP).

All suppliers in this guide state that the manufacturing plants with which they work maintain high quality standards by having in place on-site quality assurance systems in order to ensure that all products comply with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and to government regulations.

Quality certificates in line with the WHO Certification Scheme on the Quality of Pharmaceutical Products Moving in International Commerce should be available from the suppliers on request. Most suppliers and buyers listed in the Guide  maintain their own independent quality assurance programs. Contact them directly for these details.