Product Aids in Identifying Drugs

Centice Corp., which manufactures chemical verification and identification technologies, has introduced PINPOINT Rx, a product that helps physicians and pharmacists to identify prescription drugs.

The system captures the spectral signature of a drug and checks the signature against a database of drugs and their signatures. This can speed the process of identifying whole pills, pills with no markings, fragments of pills or other unknown chemical substances, according to the Morrisville, N.C.-based vendor.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a spectral signature is a unique reflectance value that can be measured on the electromagnetic spectrum. The signature is a unique reading of the degree to which electromagnetic waves are reflected off an object, absorbed by the object, or transmitted through the object.

Unknown medications today commonly are identified by comparing shape, color and imprint information to a database of drugs, but the process is time consuming and not always accurate. More information is available at centice.com.

--Joseph Goedert