TY - JOUR
T1 - Ion beam analysis (IBA) and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) for forensic characterisation of authentic Viagra® and of sildenafil-based illegal products
AU - Romolo, Francesco Saverio
AU - Sarilar, Mehmet
AU - Antoine, Johann
AU - Mestria, Serena
AU - Strano Rossi, Sabina
AU - Gallidabino, Matteo Davide
AU - Soares de Souza, Guilherme Maurício
AU - Chytry, Paola
AU - Ferraz Dias, Johnny
N1 - Accepted Author Manuscript
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Illegal trafficking of pharmaceutical products by criminal organisations is a global threat for public health. Drugs for erectile dysfunction such as phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors are the most commonly counterfeited medicines in Europe. The search of possible toxic chemical substances in seized products is needed to provide early warning for public health. Furthermore, the elemental profile of the seized products can be useful in criminal investigations. For the first time an ion beam analysis (IBA) procedure to characterise authentic Viagra® tablets and sildenafil-based illegal products is described. Moreover, results are compared with the ones obtained by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) on authentic Viagra® tablets in two reactors. IBA results showed that a combination of particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and secondary ion mass spectrometry using primary ions with energies in the range of several MeV (MeV-SIMS) is a powerful tool to characterise different products in a straightforward manner, allowing discrimination between legal and illegal products. INAA allowed accurate elemental quantification and also showed a great potential for the future implementation of an inter-laboratory classification system.
AB - Illegal trafficking of pharmaceutical products by criminal organisations is a global threat for public health. Drugs for erectile dysfunction such as phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors are the most commonly counterfeited medicines in Europe. The search of possible toxic chemical substances in seized products is needed to provide early warning for public health. Furthermore, the elemental profile of the seized products can be useful in criminal investigations. For the first time an ion beam analysis (IBA) procedure to characterise authentic Viagra® tablets and sildenafil-based illegal products is described. Moreover, results are compared with the ones obtained by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) on authentic Viagra® tablets in two reactors. IBA results showed that a combination of particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and secondary ion mass spectrometry using primary ions with energies in the range of several MeV (MeV-SIMS) is a powerful tool to characterise different products in a straightforward manner, allowing discrimination between legal and illegal products. INAA allowed accurate elemental quantification and also showed a great potential for the future implementation of an inter-laboratory classification system.
KW - Counterfeit pharmaceutical products
KW - Dietary supplements
KW - Forensic analysis
KW - Illegal pharmaceutical products
KW - Ion beam analysis
KW - Neutron activation analysis
KW - Sildenafil
KW - Viagra®
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85096001363&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.talanta.2020.121829
DO - 10.1016/j.talanta.2020.121829
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85096001363
SN - 0039-9140
VL - 224
JO - Talanta
JF - Talanta
M1 - 121829
ER -
