The European Pharmacopoeia has a legally binding character. It is used as an official reference to serve public health,[1] and is part of the regulatory requirements for obtaining a Marketing Authorisation (MA) for a medicinal (human or veterinary) product.[1] The quality standards of the European Pharmacopoeia apply throughout the entire life-cycle of a product, and become legally binding and mandatory on the same date in all thirty-eight (38)[2] signatory states, which include all European Union member states.