US Agencies Find Counterfeit Drugs a Growing Danger in 2017

The Justice Department, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are concerned about Americans illegally purchasing prescription medicines from foreign sources. According to News Channel 10, investigations are underway to protect Americans from these potentially dangerous substances. The Justice Department has been looking at the data and as…

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FDA Develops Hand-held Counterfeit Drug Detection Device

The US Food and Drug Administration has introduced a powerful new tool in the war against counterfeit drugs. It’s a hand-held counterfeit drug detection spectrometer that uses light to detect anomalies in drug appearance and packaging.

Called the Counterfeit Detection Device #3, or CD3, it was developed internally by the FDA, and presented at an FDA symposium by Commissioner Margaret Hamburg on September 11th, reports CNN.

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Cloud Based Track-And Trace Instituted to Fight Counterfeit Meds in India

A drug-authentication technology that used to track, trace and authenticate medications in Nigeria and Ghana is being deployed in India. The technology developed by Hewlett-Packard has been previously used by mPedigree in Africa. The service allows pharmaceutical companies to monitor the movement of products through the global supply chain and protects consumers from counterfeit medicines…

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New Low Cost Anti-Counterfeit Medicine Device Patented

A New Jersey custom laser manufacturer,  PD-LD, has been awarded a US patent on a low-cost Raman monitoring device that can be used to detect counterfeit medicine. The device doesn't need the expensive components that other Raman spectrometers need, reports Securing Pharma.  Using low-cost lasers, similar to those in DVD drives, combined with laser-stabilizing technology,…

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E-pedigree: Effective Safety Efforts Too Important to Rush

The pharmacy board met on March 25 in San Diego to consider whether or not it is necessary to move the deadline to implement an electronic pedigree system back to 2011. The law’s intent to protect the consumer against counterfeits is sound. However, technological and other practical realities must be taken into account. Thankfully, the…

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New Spectral Database for Counterfeit Drugs

Swiss researchers have developed a database of fake medicines using Raman spectrometry data in order to help investigators follow the counterfeit distribution chain from manufacturers to distributors internationally.   The University of Lausanne and Roche are using near-infrared and Raman spectra, as well as gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy…

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Anti-Counterfeiting Medicine Lab Opens in Southern Africa

Zambian government officials have allocated K2 billion to building a National Drug Quality Control Laboratory in Lusaka, announced the Ministry of Health. Under the authority of the Pharmaceutical Regulatory Authority, the goal of the laboratory is to curb the spread of counterfeit medicine within Zambia, reports the Zambia Daily Mail. Said Minster of Health Kapembwa…

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Cloud Based Technology Stops Drug Counterfeiters and Malaria

Cloud based technologies have been implemented in two new initiatives to help improve health in Africa, a mobile phone based system to collect malaria data in Botswana, and a counterfeit medicine detection service in Ghana and Nigeria. The malaria data collection service is run by a Botswana-based nonprofit, Positive Innovation for the New Generation (PING).…

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