What did the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 require?

• A. Approves USP/NF and requires official standards
• B. Grants automatic patent
• C. Only regulates cosmetics
• D. Requires drug testing in animals

Answer: (A)

This law was about protecting consumers by making sure foods and medicines were labeled truthfully and not adulterated. It gave the federal government authority to enforce rules against mislabeled or contaminated products and to penalize false claims. A big part of that enforcement was relying on recognized, official standards so that drug ingredients and strengths could be measured against a consistent benchmark. Pharmacopoeias like the USP/NF functioned as those standards, providing the accepted criteria for quality and labeling. So this option best reflects the act’s goal: products must meet official standards and have accurate labeling. The other statements don’t fit the act’s purpose—there was no automatic patent grant, it wasn’t limited to cosmetics, and it did not require animal testing.