Locating Drugs Sensitively

Abstract

A laser-based scanning microscopy method can map the three-dimensional distribution of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in drug tablets and powdered samples faster and with greater sensitivity than standard methods used for drug analyses, according to work reported in Analytical Chemistry (DOI: 10.1021/ac300917t). The study may lead to rapid tests for quality control and drug stability as well as for detecting counterfeits. Drug manufacturers evaluate the spatial distribution, crystallinity, and other properties that influence drug stability, bioavailability, and efficacy to ensure their uniformity in solid drug formulations. X-ray powder diffraction and Raman spectroscopy are commonly used techniques, but they suffer from various shortcomings. The X-ray method, for example, is fairly insensitive; its detection limit is often on the order of 1% for an API in a background of inactive drug formulation compounds (excipients). Imaging by Raman spectroscopy often requires long data acquisition times—se...