FDA gets Corning to refine agency-designed counterfeit drug scanner

The FDA has tapped Corning to refine a device its own researchers developed that can help detect counterfeit drugs, and it will now share it in a program to reduce problems from counterfeit malaria drugs. The agency said today it had created a partnership with a number of agencies and programs to get what it calls the CD-3 deployed in places like Africa where it can do the most good. FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg pointed out that substandard drugs not only fail to protect patients from the deadly disease but can lead to resistance to drugs that do work. "The development of the CD-3 and the formation of this important partnership are critical steps toward the FDA's goal of improving the global product safety net in order to protect consumers in the U.S. and worldwide." The scanner uses light waves to check samples against stored scans of real APIs and drugs in its memory. It also can be used to check if packaging has been tampered with. It emits light in 10 different wavelengths and can be used on drugs, powders and inks. Announcement | More