The problem of counterfeit pharmaceuticals is increasing worldwide, and is especially prevalent in developing countries that lack strong drug regulation and enforcement. According to the World Health Organization, 45% of counterfeited drugs were antibiotics between 1982-1999. Many of these antibiotics are sold well past their expiration date, and thus, do not contain the correct dosage of active ingredient. Ciprofloxacin, a broad-spectrum antibiotic, has been counterfeited by selling substandard quality or expired tablets at full price. This research focused on the development of a simple device called the �Cipro PAD� (paper analytical device) to screen suspicious ciprofloxacin tablets. This PAD uses well-established colorimetric chemical tests on a paper-based substrate to identify the active ingredient, ciprofloxacin, as well as its degraded products found in expired tablets. This presentation will focus on the development of and colorimetric chemistry tests used on the Cipro PAD, as well as the results from field-testing.

Colorimetric tests for screening ciprofloxacin on a PAD (paper analytical device)

245th National Meeting (2013)

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