General Monographs

General Monographs
The General Monographs for dosage forms are grouped together at the beginning of Volume III. They are followed by the monographs for the individual formulated preparations arranged in alphabetical order. The General Monographs of the European Pharmacopoeia apply to all individual dosage forms of the type defined rather than only to those preparations for which a specific monograph is included (see the General Notices).
Infrared Reference Spectra
To enable the user to locate a particular reference spectrum without difficulty, all have been assigned specific serial numbers within this edition. These are then cited within the text wherever reference to that spectrum is made.
Three new spectra have been added sequentially to the previous collection. A number of spectra that are no longer required have been removed from this edition.
Acknowledgements
The British Pharmacopoeia Commission is greatly indebted to the members of its advisory Committees and Consultative Groups without whose dedicated enthusiasm and assistance this edition could not have been prepared.
Close co-operation has continued with many organisations at home and overseas. These include the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (of which the Pharmacopoeia secretariat and laboratory staff are a part), the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, the European Pharmacopoeia Commission and the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia), the Health Protection Branch of the Canadian Department of Health and Welfare, the Committee of Revision of the United States Pharmacopeia, the Essential Drugs and Other Medicines Department of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the WHO Collaborating Centre for Chemical Reference Substances.
The British Pharmacopoeia Commission also acknowledges the advice of the publisher and the contribution made by Mr P Shaw, The Stationery Office, in the production of this edition which was published using the innovative ActiveTextTM software.