Novel approaches to identify substandard and falsified medicines

Novel approaches to identify substandard and falsified medicines, presented by Yohan Arman to the Indonesian Food and Drug Authority

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 1 in 10 medicines in low-income and middle-income countries are either falsified (fake medicines made by criminals for financial gain) or substandard (authorised but fail to meet quality standards). Substandard and falsified (SF) medicines endanger the public and there is a need for effective devices and approaches to screen stocks in supply chains.

Examples of SF medicines include medicinal syrups with toxic contaminants and vaccines (1,2,3,4). Detection methods for both of these medicines are currently being investigated by the Zitzmann lab in the Department of Biochemistry and Kavli Institute, the Medicines Quality Research Group in the Nuffield Department of Medicine, the Department of Chemistry, all of the University of Oxford and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL).

Yohan Arman with Dr. Susan Gracia Arpan (head of the National Quality Control Laboratory of Drug and Food, P3OMN), Ugih Sri Rahayu and the P3OMN team in Indonesia

Yohan Arman in the Zitzmann lab is working on these projects, among several other projects, as part of his DPhil in Biochemistry. While in Indonesia, Yohan was invited by the Indonesian Food and Drug Authority (Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan (BPOM)) to present his research on novel screening technologies that can aid the regulatory authority in identifying SF medical products. This is in line with the World Health Organization’s "Prevention-Detection-Response" strategy. In addition to this talk, Yohan was invited to present the team’s research in a webinar organised by the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency (Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional RI (BRIN RI).

Yohan said “We had a productive and enjoyable interaction and discussion on how the novel screening technologies can strengthen the surveillance capacity of BPOM, adding to the current state-of-the art technologies available at INFALABS-BPOM. Many thanks to Dra. Susan Gracia Arpan, Apt., MSi., head of the National Quality Control Laboratory of Drug and Food (P3OMN) and Apt. Ugih Sri Rahayu, S.Farm for the lovely invite. And to all P3OMN staff for joining the talk. Also, thanks to Pusat Riset Biologi Molekuler Eijkman, BRIN for the invitation to present at a webinar”.