Bruker Optics Products Help Chinese SFDA Fight Illegal Counterfeit Drugs
18 January 2006
Bruker Optics has reached an agreement with the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) for a large order of instruments to be used in determining fake and substandard drugs in the Chinese open market.
BEIJING and BILLERICA, Mass. - January 18, 2006: Bruker Optics announced today that it has finalised an agreement with the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) and 28 regional food and drug administration offices in China, for the purchase and delivery of over 300 FT-NIR spectrometers. Bruker Optics instruments are to be integrated into a large fleet of mobile laboratory vehicles, which will be deployed across China for the rapid screening of pharmaceutical products.
The United States Food and Drug Administration estimates that counterfeit drugs make up more than 10% of the global medicines market, and other reports indicate that millions of Chinese are hospitalised due to counterfeit drug usage each year. The SFDA project is the largest of its kind in the world, and has been led by the National Institute for the Control of Pharmaceutical and Biological Products of China (NICPBP). Although full financial terms are not disclosed, Bruker Optics' Chief Financial Officer Mr. Rolf Lang stated that the project, which includes hardware, method development and support services, is valued at over $15 million, making it the largest single order in the company's history.
Dr. Qian Wang, Vice President of Bruker Optics, said: "We are very pleased to know that our technology and expertise in molecular spectroscopy can play a supporting role in China's effort to crack down on the counterfeit drugs problem. We are committed to a long-term relationship with the Chinese government, and are pleased to be able to assist the SFDA with its needs."
