Evaluation of screening technologies for assessing medicine quality
Stergachis A., Batson JC., Crawford S., Fernandez FM., Kaale EA., Kalyanaraman R., Kwiringira W., Newton P., Olsen B., Rodriguez J., Wilson B., Young SJ., Zook A., Roth LM.
Various portable screening technologies have been developed to assess the quality and authenticity of medicines and thereby combat the growing global problem of substandard and falsified (SF) medicines. However, the capabilities and limitations of many technologies are not well characterized, particularly when used outside the laboratory, for example in supply chain testing or at the point of care. This Stimuli article addresses the need for structured, effective approaches to performing a pragmatic review of a given technology. The information collected during the review can inform the selection and deployment of the technology of interest, which in turn can help prevent SF drugs from reaching vulnerable populations. Comments from the public and stakeholders are requested as this review will subsequently become a USP informational chapter (above <1000>).