The World Health Organization estimates the prevalence of low quality drugs in developing countries to be between 10% and 30 %1. Low quality drugs can lead to poor health outcomes and in the case of infectious disease, bolster the development of drug resistant microbes. To address this problem a new, inexpensive method of monitoring drug quality is being developed using Paper Analytical Devices (PADs) that combine an array of chemical tests on patterned paper. Using paper chromatography, these devices provide a chemical profile of a drug in about 3 minutes without the use of lab equipment. The Beta-lactam PAD has been shown in lab validation studies to detect the presence or absence of beta-lactams with 100% sensitivity and specificity. Tests for fillers such as starch and carbonate can also be detected with a 94% and 90% success rate, respectively. Currently, the beta-lactam PAD performance is being evaluated by pharmacists at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya in collaboration with Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH). Local pharmaceuticals are purchased in a random fashion by �secret shoppers� and tested at AMPATH. Coupled with cell phone image analysis of results, these devices are user friendly, require minimal training and carry the potential for crowd-sourcing of data. We propose that with an estimated cost of $0.35USD per test, these PADs provide a viable screening tool for drug quality in healthcare settings with limited resources.1. WHO Report on the Situation of the Counterfeit Medicines Based on Data Collection Tool. http://www.who.int/medicines/services/counterfeit/impact/TheNewEstimatesCounterfeit.pdf (2006).

Paper-based tests for inexpensive pharmaceutical quality testing

245th National Meeting (2013)

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