[Quo vadis, Pharmacopoeia Hungarica?]

The authors give an overview on the present role of the 7th Edition of the Hungarian Pharmacopoeia in the assurance of the good quality of medicines in Hungary. The reasons for the more and more limited applicability of the pharmacopoeia conflicting with its legal validity are shown for the most important groups of medicines. The authors, members of the presidium of the Hungarian Pharmacopoeia Commission, outline the future face and the timing of the publication of the 8th edition of the Hungarian Pharmacopoeia, which is intended to consist of the translations of the general chapters and monographs of the 3rd and 4th Editions of European Pharmacopoeia as well as of the so called national volume with monographs not included in the EP but harmonized with its general chapters. The impact of the new pharmacopoeia on the different fields of pharmacy and the necessary measures to be taken to make the switch-over from Ph. Hg. VII to Ph. Hg. VIII as smooth as possible are also summarised in the paper.