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23 Oct 2023

Medical & healthcare

Advanced laser spectroscopy detects falsified COVID vaccines

An international consortium of researchers and specialists has developed a new method to counter the problem of COVID-19 vaccine falsification.

Lead author and STFC Central Laser Facility scientist, Sara Mosca, examining a vaccine vial - STFC, Helen Towrie

Since the emergence of COVID-19 and its immunisation programmes worldwide, there have been over 184 public domain reports across 48 countries of diverted and substandard or falsified COVID-19 vaccines, according to a Medicine Quality report.

To address this global health issue of falsified and substandard medical products, the World Health Organization (WHO) member states adopted a prevent, detect, and respond strategy, to ensure the public are effectively protected from COVID-19 and trust in vaccines.

In line with WHO strategy, a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research consortium has developed a new method of detecting falsified vaccines, which was published on October 20, 2023, in Vaccine.

The study demonstrates the viability of handheld Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS) to rapidly authenticate COVID-19 vaccines through unopened vaccine vials.

SORS performs chemical analysis by shining a laser light into an intact vial of the vaccine and inspecting the light emanating from the vial to indicate the presence of different ingredients.

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