Global Health & Pharmaceutical Forensics

Detecting substandard and falsified medicines worldwide.

Substandard and falsified medicines cost lives across the globe. Working with partners including the WHO, USP, and field collaborators, we develop portable and laboratory mass spectrometry methods to screen medicine quality and trace the chemical signatures of counterfeit drugs.

substandard medicinesfalsified drugspharmaceutical forensicsportable MSglobal health

Selected publications

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2021
'Multiphase evaluation of portable medicines quality screening devices
, Celine Caillet, Serena Vickers, Stephen Zambrzycki, Nantasit Luangasanatip, Vayouly Vidhamaly, Kem Boutsamay, Phonepasith Boupha, Yoel Lubell, Facundo M. Fernández, Paul N. Newton, PLOS Neglected Trop. Dis. 2021, 15(9): e0009287.
2021
Laboratory evaluation of twelve portable devices for medicine quality screening
Stephen C. Zambrzycki, Celine Caillet, Serena Vickers, Marcos Bouza, David V. Donndelinger, Laura C. Geben¥, Matthew C. Bernier, Paul N Newton, Facundo M. Fernández. PLOS Neglected Trop. Dis. 2021, 15(9):e0009360
2021
A comparative field evaluation of six medicine quality screening devices in Laos
, Celine Caillet, Serena Vickers, Stephen Zambrzycki, Facundo M. Fernández, Vayouly Vidhamaly, Kem Boutsamay, Phonepasith Boupha, Pimnara Peerawaranun, Mavuto Mukaka, Paul N. Newton. PLOS Neglected Trop. Dis. 2021, 15(9): e0009674
2021
Implementation of Field Detection Devices for Antimalarial Quality Screening in Lao PDR – A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
, Nantasit Luangasanatip, Panarasri Khonputsa, Celine Caillet, Serena Vickers, Stephen Zambrzycki, Facundo M. Fernández, Paul N Newton, Yoel Lubell. PLOS Neglected Trop. Dis. 2021, 15(9): e0009539
2021
Evaluation of portable devices for medicine quality screening: Lessons learnt, recommendations for implementation and future priorities
, Celine Caillet, Serena Vickers, Vayouly Vidhamaly, Kem Boutsamay, Phonepasith Boupha, Stephen Zambrzycki, Nantasit Luangasanatip, Yoel Lubell, Facundo M. Fernández, Paul N. Newton, PLOS Medicine, 2021, 18(9): e1003747
2020
The COVID-19 MS Coalition—accelerating diagnostics, prognostics, and treatment
, Weston Struwe, Ed Emmott, Melanie Bailey, Michal Sharon, Andrea Sinz, Fernando J Corrales, Kostas Thalassinos, Julian Braybrook, Clare Mills, Perdita Barran, on behalf of the COVID-19 MS Coalition (http://covid19-msc.org/) Lancet, 2020, 395 (10239), 1761-1762
2020
COVID-19 and risks to the supply and quality of tests, drugs, and vaccines
, Paul N. Newton*, Katherine C. Bond and 55 authors from 20 countries including Facundo M. Fernández, Lancet Glob. Health, 2020 8(6), e754-e755.
2019
Global access to quality-assured medical products: the Oxford Statement and call to action
Paul Newton et al. (159 authors). Lancet Global Health, 2019, 7(12), PE1609-E1611
2018
Field Detection Devices for Medicines Quality Screening: A Systematic Review
Serena Vickers, Matthew Bernier, Stephen Zambrzycki, Facundo M Fernández, Paul N Newton, Céline Caillet. * BMJ Global Health, 2018, 3, e000725
2017
Prevalence of Substandard and Falsified Artemisinin-Based Combination Antimalarial Medicines in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea
, Harparkash Kaur, Elizabeth Louise Allan, Ibrahim Mamadu, Zoe Hall, Michael D Green, Isabel Swamidoss, Prabha Dwivedi, Maria Julia Culzoni, Facundo M Fernández, Guillermo Garcia, Dianna Hergott, Feliciano Monti*. BMJ Glob. Health, 2017, 2, e000409
2016
Quality of Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy for malaria found in Ghanaian markets and public health implications of their use
Tivura Mathilda, Asante Isaac, van Wyk Albert, Stephaney Gyaase, Malik Naiela, Mahama Emmanuel, Hostetler Dana M., Fernández Facundo M., Asante Kwaku Poku, Kaur Harparkash, Owusu-Agyei Seth. BMC Pharmacol. Toxicol., 2016, 17, 48
2016
Fingerprinting of Falsified Artemisinin Combination Therapies via Direct Analysis in Real Time Coupled to a Compact Single Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer
Matthew C. Bernier, Frederick Li, Brian Musselman, Paul N. Newton, Facundo M. Fernández. Anal. Methods,2016, 8, 6616 – 6624. [A new benchtop quadrupole mass spectrometer-plasma ionization approach to detect counterfeit medicines (100% contribution)]. Featured on Journal back cover.

+ 30 more in this area on the publications page.