Summary
World Health Organization statistics indicate that counterfeit drugs represent a massive and growing global problem. XRPD (X-ray powder diffraction) allows effective, quick and reliable screening of pharmaceutical tablets without removing them from their original blister packaging.
This application note demonstrates that XRPD can be used to differentiate authentic drugs from counterfeit products by checking for the presence of the correct polymorphic form or by comparison of the tablet fingerprint.
Developed in collaboration with industry and customs authorities.
Methods & Experimental Design
XRPD Measurement
Instrument Parameters
- X-ray sourceCu Kα
- Angular Range0-50 deg 2θ
- Measurement modeTransmission (for in-blister analysis)
Conference Poster — XRPD For The Identification of Counterfeit Drugs
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Related Resources
US Patent 7,756,248 B2 — X-Ray Detection in Packaging (2010)
Download Patent (PDF)