Counterfeit packaging detector

Researchers at Leicester University have used research in crime and space technology to develop a system for the detection of counterfeit pharmaceutical packaging.

Prof George Fraser and Prof Martin Gill are heading the Spectral ID project based on work carried out by Leicester University spinout Perpetuity Research and Consultancy International (PRCI) and the university's Space Research Centre.

The project, which was shortlisted for the Innovation in Development category at the Lord Stafford Awards, aims to address the need for a system that can quickly and cheaply identify counterfeit drugs in the healthcare industry.

Prof Fraser, director of the university's Space Research Centre, said: ‘Pharmaceutical manufacturers stake their reputation on the reliability of their products. If a counterfeiter is able to use their name to sell a drug it can damage both the consumers and the industry. We have developed a fast and cheap method of identifying counterfeit packaging that can be used by border control, industry regulators, customs and excise and the distributors themselves.’