CSMA in Counterfeit Drug Detection Breakthrough

CSMA has developed a method for detecting counterfeit drugs which could revolutionise detection practice in the pharmaceutical industry.

The work, carried out in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline, was conducted in response to requests from the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) for major drug companies to do more to combat the growing problem of counterfeit drugs, which currently accounts for ten per cent of the global pharmaceuticals market.

By using surface analysis techniques to examine ingredient content and dispersal at the extreme surface of a drug, CSMA has developed a method of detecting differences in manufacturing routes. Drugs produced using manufacturing methods other than those employed by the original pharmaceutical companies can therefore be identified.

Although further development of the detection system is required, the research is already being hailed as a major breakthrough.

Rob Mitchell, who led the research programme at CSMA, comments: “The circulation of counterfeit drugs costs the pharmaceutical industry billions, both in terms of revenue loss and in developing programmes to help combat the problem.

“Add to this the fact that, at their crudest, counterfeit drugs may contain ingredients that are detrimental to the health of the patient, possibly even fatal, and it is clear to see how important this research is.”

CSMA is a subsidiary of CERAM, the internationally renowned centre for materials and technology. For further information on this research or on the range surface analysis techniques and services offered by CSMA, please contact Justine Bentley on +44 (0)1782 764269 or email justine.bentley@ceram.com

For more details on the article please visit the Taylor and Francis web site http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/03639045.asp

A white paper "Surface Analysis Exposes Counterfeit Medicines" is also available as a free download here