OMCL Network - Working group activities - Testing of falsified / illegal medicines - 19th Technical OMCL Falsified Medicines Training

On 3-4 May 2023, a technical training session for OMCLs on the testing of falsified and illegal medicines took place on the premises of the National Health Institute in Prague, the location of the Czech OMCL for human medicines (SÚKL). The objective was to present important techniques for the analysis of falsified, unknown products. The Prague session was a repeat of two training sessions successfully run by the Czech OMCL in 2018. All OMCL hands-on training programmes are co-organised by members of the GEON and the EDQM.

Twelve OMCL trainees from ten European countries attended the course. They were split into two small groups so that technical exchanges with the host OMCL staff were as interactive as possible.

Each of the groups attended two half-day training sessions, during which the following methodologies were presented:

  • Liquid Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (TOF);
  • Infrared and Raman Spectroscopy.

The aspects covered during the sessions were: principles of each analytical technique, components of the instruments and software, calibration/qualification and quality management requirements, sample preparation, and sample processing and interpretation of results, where applicable with the help of in-house or commercially available libraries/databases. The training course ended with a guided tour of the laboratory given by the staff members.

Hands-on training for OMCLs on the testing of falsified medicines has become a regular offer of the GEON and will be continued thanks to the great interest from Network members and positive feedback received from participants.