Counterfeit drugs represent a rapidly growing concern worldwide. The World Health Organisation estimates that 7 to 8% of all drugs worldwide are counterfeit and hundreds of thousands of deaths are attributed to counterfeits in China alone.
Complex supply chains and global manufacturing contribute to the difficulty of controlling and eliminating counterfeit manufacturing operations.
In order to identify counterfeit pharmaceuticals, Warsash Scientific has released TruScan, a handheld instrument that can instantly confirm or deny the identity of a given compound right through blister packs or sealed bottles.
Using Raman spectroscopy, TruScan can analyse and provide a highly accurate assessment of the validity of a pharmaceutical agent, even distinguishing between different polymorphs or generic versions of a drug.
The handheld form factor makes the instrument ideal for monitoring the pharmaceutical supply in developing countries with good infrastructure.
Further, fast method development and validation combined with easy fleet management ensure that pharmaceutical anti-counterfeit teams or regulatory agency can efficiently manage their efforts.