An easy to use, low cost colorimetric method to identify the quality and quantity of frontline tuberculosis (TB) medications will be presented. TB is typically treated using a multi-drug regimen comprising Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Pyrazinamide, Ethambutol, and Streptomycin among others. According to WHO and USAID up to 50% of pharmaceuticals are counterfeit worldwide. The problem intensifies the closer one gets to the point of care. Unfortunately, the closer the treatment gets to the point of care the less resources there are for analytical authentication. There is a need for a method to identify real versus counterfeit drugs by someone that has little to no training. The detection method needs to be specific to only the medication and the reaction biproducts to avoid the counterfeit test from being counterfeited.  Streptomycin and Rifampicin are the initial focus of this study. Streptomycin is susceptible to base hydrolysis to form a unique compound that forms colorful metal ligand complexes. Rifampicin is unstable in aqueous solutions breaking down into two parts, one of which is a compound that can be used to produce a unique color using selected color coupling reactions. Reaction products and intermediates were identified using analytical and separation techniques such as GC, GC-MS, and HPLC-MS. The formation of maltol to make a quantitative and qualitative visual color test that is rapid, low cost, and can be used without training to identify counterfeit frontline tuberculosis medications at the point of care will be reported.

Drug quality assurance to combat counterfeit Streptomycin and Rifampicin using facile, low cost colorimetry

256th National Meeting (2018)

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