Anti-Counterfeiting Program in Ghana Now Using Advanced Handheld Detection Technology.

 

Ghana-based Center for Pharmaceutical Advancement and Training (CePAT), part of the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention’s (USP) Global Health Impact Program, is now using handheld anti-counterfeiting technology in its fight to detect fake anti-malaria drugs, a major problem in Ghana and Sub-Saharan Africa. 

 Thermo Scientific TruScan instruments are ideal for the CePAT effort because of their streamlined user interface, ease of implementation and inherent specificity, designed to allow key personnel at the point of need to quickly and accurately detect counterfeit drugs.

“Malaria is a major health issue in this region and anti-malarial drugs are critical to survival,” said Dr. Patrick Lukulay, vice president at USP in charge of the Promoting Quality of Medicines program.

 “Sadly, counterfeiters are exploiting this need and attempting to capitalize, and we need ways to stay ahead of them. Because TruScan is easy to learn and delivers immediate results, we’re able to make it an integral part of our ongoing effort to safeguard the public and improve human health.” 

 

“We’re pleased to play a role in a very important public health issue,” said Bob Brush, business development manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “The work CePAT is doing is precisely what we designed TruScan to do, make it easy to confirm that a substance – whether it’s a pill, powder or liquid and even if it’s already packaged and shipped – is what it says it is.”

Thermo Fisher Scientific designed the TruScan platform for rapid, accurate material identification through the use of highly selective Raman technology. More information on the Thermo Scientific TruScan instruments can be found by visiting www.thermoscientific.com/rmid. 

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

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