Composition analysis of falsified chloroquine phosphate samples seized during the COVID-19 pandemic

[en] The proliferation of falsified medicines can cause serious public health issues, particularly in the context of a global pandemic such as the actual COVID-19 pandemic. Our study involved eight chloroquine phosphate medicines seized in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Niger during March and May 2020. These suspect samples were first analyzed in a screening phase using field tools such as handheld Raman spectroscopy (TruScan) and then in a confirmation phase using laboratory tools such as hyperspectral Raman imaging and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The results confirmed the falsified nature of the samples, highlighting the presence of metronidazole at low dose in four samples (16.6, 15.2, 15.2 and 14.5 mg/tab), too low levels of chloroquine in two samples (2.4 and 20.2mg/tab), and substitution of chloroquine phosphate by paracetamol in one sample (255.7 mg/tab). The results also confirmed that four samples had been adulterated with paracetamol in trace amounts and two of them presented traces of chloramphenicol.

Research Center/Unit :

CIRM - Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche sur le Médicament - ULiège

Disciplines :

Pharmacy, pharmacology & toxicology

Author, co-author :

Waffo Tchounga, Christelle Ange ; Université de Liège - ULiège > CIRM

Sacre, Pierre-Yves ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de pharmacie > Chimie analytique

Ciza Hamuli, Patient ; Université de Liège - ULiège > CIRM

NGONO Mballa, Rose; Université de Yaoundé I > Sciences Pharmaceutique

Ziemons, Eric ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de pharmacie > Chimie analytique

HUBERT, philippe; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département Pharmacie > Chimie Analytique

Marini Djang'Eing'A, Roland ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de pharmacie > Chimie analytique

Language :

English

Title :

Composition analysis of falsified chloroquine phosphate samples seized during the COVID-19 pandemic

Publication date :

2021

Journal title :

Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis

ISSN :

0731-7085

eISSN :

1873-264X

Publisher :

Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Volume :

194

Pages :

113761

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Funders :

ARES CCD - Académie de Recherche et d'Enseignement Supérieur. Coopération au Développement

Available on ORBi :

since 13 November 2020

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Bibliography

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