自1864年第一版起，已出至第14版。现行版为1988年版。该药典从1980年版起改为两卷本。第一卷收载绪论，通则和原料药品以及红外对照图谱等；第二卷收载各类药品制剂、血液制品、免疫制品、放射性药品、手术用品以及附录和索引等。1988年版收载各类药品2100种,其中有495种为《欧洲药典》已收载的品种。

The British Pharmacopoeia 2011

The British Pharmacopoeia (BP) is the official collection of standards for UK medicinal products and pharmaceutical substances. Produced by the British Pharmacopoeia Commission Secretariat of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the BP makes a valuable contribution to public health by setting publicly available standards for the quality of medicines.

The British Pharmacopoeia 2011 contains:

Monographs including British Pharmacopoeia (Veterinary) monographs

Test methods Infrared reference spectra

Supplementary information

European Pharmacopoeia monographs are clearly distinguished and cross-referenced

A full index ensures easy access to the current legally-binding UK standards.