Industrial Applications — Detection of Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals
Can you tell the real capsule from the fake?
Worldwide, 10% of all drugs are counterfeit, costing billions in lost revenue. Can you afford not to be sure?
While the extent of
pharmaceutical
counterfeiting varies
among different regions
in the world, there is
consensus among
regulatory bodies that
the problem is a
dangerous threat to the
safety of consumers.
As counterfeiting techniques advance, fakes are more easily passing undetected into the supply chain, causing industry to experience the financial impact. Counterfeiting, fraud, and theft within the pharmaceutical industry supply chain range from conservative estimates of $30 billion to more than $50 billion in annual losses to corporations, according to market studies by organizations such as IMS Health and the FDA.
In 2003 the FDA established the Counterfeit Drug Task Force as a new initiative to combat this growing problem and more aggressively protect consumers from counterfeit drugs. The new initiative includes exploring the use of modern technologies and other measures that will make it more difficult for counterfeit drugs to get mixed up with, or deliberately substituted for, safe and effective drugs.
Nearly every product has a unique “spectral fingerprint” determined by its molecular composition, and NIR spectroscopy is an ideal vehicle for verifying authenticity. RxSpec® technology has successfully checked more than 2.5 million prescriptions since introduction, and has proven effective in distinguishing between pharmaceuticals that look virtually identical, but which have, in fact, different formulations or dosages.
To address the global counterfeit crisis,
ASD has introduced the ultra-portable lab
quality RxSpec® 700Z counterfeit drug detection system. It can easily, and cost effectively, remedy the
escalating problem of fakes in the supply chain, and help eradicate the unnecessary injuries and loss of life caused
by harmful counterfeit drugs reaching consumers.
Shown left: The RxSpec® 700Z, the pharmaceutical industry's first and only truly portable counterfeit drug detection system for analysis of the full molecular composition of drugs.
The RxSpec® 700Z is destined to be a useful tool for pharmaceutical companies, Customs and Border Control agencies, and anybody in the drug distribution chain with concern for the efficacy of drugs dispensed to patients. The portable system provides the ability to test questionable
drugs when and where needed.
ASD is well known for its expertise and novel thinking in providing practical real-time solutions for a wide array of application needs. With seven US patents addressing pharmaceutical verification, two of those specifically related to the unique RxSpec® technology, ASD has emerged as a leader in providing solutions to the pharmaceutical industry to enhance patient safety.
With the true portability of ASD instrumentation, real-time and in-the-field counterfeit detection is now a reality, providing a variety of professionals, in both the public and private sector, a powerful tool in the war on counterfeit drugs!
Shown right: The LabSpec® 2500 Vis/NIR analyzer with Pro Reflectance Probe and Stand-off accessory.
Click here for information on instrumentation used for this area of research.
As counterfeiting techniques advance, fakes are more easily passing undetected into the supply chain, causing industry to experience the financial impact. Counterfeiting, fraud, and theft within the pharmaceutical industry supply chain range from conservative estimates of $30 billion to more than $50 billion in annual losses to corporations, according to market studies by organizations such as IMS Health and the FDA.
To address the global counterfeit crisis,
ASD has introduced the ultra-portable lab
quality RxSpec® 700Z counterfeit drug detection system. It can easily, and cost effectively, remedy the
escalating problem of fakes in the supply chain, and help eradicate the unnecessary injuries and loss of life caused
by harmful counterfeit drugs reaching consumers.
With the true portability of ASD instrumentation, real-time and in-the-field counterfeit detection is now a reality, providing a variety of professionals, in both the public and private sector, a powerful tool in the war on counterfeit drugs! 