Simple Field Assays to Check Quality of Current ACT Formulations

30 September 2009

An article by ACT Consortium Prinicipal Investigator Dr. Harparkash Kaur has been recently published in the open access jornal, PLoS ONE.  The article describes how two simple field tests have been developed that rely on visual inspection of a colour change, do not need any special device and can be readily deployed in developing countries to authenticate artemisinin derivatves (ARTs) in tablets. The test consists of a thin layer chromatography silica gel sheet and use 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine or 4-benzoylamino-2,5-dimethoxybenzenediazonium chloride hemi(zinc chloride) salt as reagents, producing a pink or blue product, respectively, only in the presence ARTs. The assays have proved highly specific, with no inference from other anti-malarial drugs, the most common excipients, pain killers and antibiotics.