Spectroscopies compared for fake medicines detection

Researchers from the Scientific Institute of Public Health in Brussels, Belgium, have carried out a comparison of three spectroscopic techniques in the analysis of counterfeit medicines.

The team compared and contrasted Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) and Raman spectroscopy - alone and in combination.

Using 55 samples of fake erectile dysfunction drugs, they found that for Pfizer's Viagra (sildenafil) the best approach was a combination of FT-IR and NIR, while for Eli Lilly's Cialis (tadalafil) NIR and Raman gave the best result. 

"These techniques not only permitted a clear discrimination between genuine and counterfeit or imitation samples but also the distinction of clusters among illegal samples," they write.

"This might be interesting for forensic investigations by authorities."

The article has been made available online and is due for print publication in the Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis later this year.