Method and apparatus for indetification of counterfeit drugs, pharmaceuticals, or medicines

Abstract

Systems and methods for measuring the isotope ratio of one or more gaseous oxides produced during combustion of drugs, pharmaceuticals, or medicines aiming to detect counterfeit drugs, pharmaceuticals, or medicines based on comparison of the isotopic composition of the tested drugs, pharmaceuticals, or medicines with the isotopic composition of the authentic products.

1 ) A system for a product authenticity verification, the system comprising: a combustion chamber for converting the said product into gaseous oxides, a source of oxygen with known isotopic composition, and an optical absorption spectroscopy based isotope ratio gas analyzer to measure an isotopic composition of a gaseous oxide produced in the combustion chamber, and capable of measuring the isotopic composition at least one of the following gaseous oxides: CO, CO 2 , N 2 O, NO, NO 2 , H 2 O, H 2 O 2 , SO 2 , SO 3 , CIO, wherein the product comprises at least one of a drug, a pharmaceutical, a vaccine, or a medicine. 
     
     
         2 ) The system of  claim 1 , wherein the isotope ratio analyzer is in fluid communication with the combustion chamber. 
     
     
         3 ) The system of  claim 1  further comprises a means capable of delivering the product to the combustion chamber. 
     
     
         4 ) The system of  claim 1  further comprises a means capable of measuring an amount of the gaseous oxide formed through the combustion. 
     
     
         5 ) The system of  claim 1 , wherein source of oxygen with known isotopic composition is a zero air made from the ambient air. 
     
     
         6 ) The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system is capable to dilute the gaseous oxide formed through the combustion process by a balance gas. 
     
     
         7 ) The system of  claim 1  further comprises a means capable of separating a solvent from the product in a form of a liquid solution. 
     
     
         8 ) The system of  claim 1 , wherein the isotope ratio analyzer is a Tuned Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy based gas analyzer. 
     
     
         9 ) The system of  claim 13 , wherein the isotope ratio analyzer is a Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy based gas analyzer. 
     
     
         10 ) The system of  claim 1 , wherein the isotope ratio analyzer is an Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy based gas analyzer. 
     
     
         11 ) The system of  claim 1 , wherein the isotope ratio analyzer is a Photo-Acoustic Spectroscopy based gas analyzer. 
     
     
         12 ) The system of  claim 1 , wherein the isotope ratio analyzer is a Non Dispersive Infrared Spectroscopy based gas analyzer. 
     
     
         13 ) The system of  claim 1 , wherein the isotope ratio analyzer is a Fourier-Transform Spectroscopy based gas analyzer. 
     
     
         14 ) The system of  claim 1 , wherein the isotope ratio analyzer is a Frequency Comb Spectroscopy based gas analyzer.