Chemometrical analysis of fingerprints for the detection of counterfeit and falsified medicines

Counterfeit medicines pose a major threat topublic health worldwide. These pharmaceuticals aremostly manufactured without respecting Good ManufacturingPractices. Moreover, they are not subjected to anyform of quality control, and therefore their safety, efficacy,and quality cannot be guaranteed. Extensive research oncounterfeit medicines has already been performed andpublished in literature. This review aims at providing anupdated overview of the use of fingerprints and subsequentmultivariate (chemometrical) data analysis in thefield of counterfeit medicine detection. Fingerprintingcould be a useful tool in the analysis of counterfeit medicinesbecause it generates a holistic view of a sample,rather than focusing on specific and predefined characteristics,such as identification and quantification of presentactive pharmaceutical ingredients. This review firstprovides an introduction into the counterfeiting problem.Next, the concept of fingerprinting and the basicprinciples of chemometrics are explained, followed by adescription of the successful application of fingerprints inthe field of Pharmacognosy. The last part of this reviewprovides an overview describing the use of fingerprints incounterfeit medicine research.