The present disclosure relates to detection of counterfeit drugs and,
5 more particularly, relates to an apparatus and method for detecting counterfeit in drugs
in form of either solid, semi-solid or liquid by using a microwave cavity perturbation
technique.
BACKGROUND
10 [0002] Counterfeit drugs are often a major concern and threat to the
healthcare and pharmaceutical industry. These drugs contain inadequate amounts of
active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) or no API at all, contributing to one of main
reasons behind treatment failures and triggering of an adverse immune response. In
spite of the strict surveillance methods (i.e. label-based screening techniques such as
15 hologram-print or QR-code based techniques), there have been frequent occurrences of
sale of life-style related drugs online without any prescription from certified medical
practitioners.
[0003] Over the years, many techniques have been devised for the detection
of counterfeit drugs. These techniques primarily use Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
20 (NIRS), Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy (MIRS), Raman Spectroscopy, X-ray Photoelectron
Spectroscopy (XPS) Liquid-Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) and Isotope
Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IR-MS), etc. However, these processes require expensive
experimentation and high-end set up and are time consuming as pre-preparation of the
sample drugs for spectroscopic techniques is a cumbersome task.
25 [0004] Therefore, there exists a need for an efficient apparatus that is
capable of performing quantitative and qualitative analysis to detect counterfeit drugs,
in addition to providing other technical advantages.
3
SUMMARY
[0005] This summary is only provided for the purposes of introducing the
concepts presented in a simplified form. This is not intended to identify essential
5 features of the claimed invention or limit the scope of the invention in any manner.
[0006] Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus
for counterfeit detection in drugs. The apparatus includes a first receptacle configured to
accommodate a drug to be tested and a second receptacle configured to encase the first
receptacle accommodating the drug. A lid of the second receptacle is operable between
10 a closed position and an open position for encasing the first receptacle accommodated
with the drug. The apparatus includes one or more loop couplers mounted to the second
receptacle. The one or more loop couplers are configured to provide a series of
frequency signals within the second receptacle until the second receptacle attains a
resonant mode. The series of frequency signals within the second receptacle at the
15 resonant mode corresponds to a resonant frequency. Further, the apparatus includes a
computing device trained with a training data to perform a quantitative and a qualitative
analysis of the drug to determine counterfeit in the drug based at least on dielectric
parameters measured at the resonant mode for the drug positioned on the first receptacle
and encased within the second receptacle.
20 [0007] In another embodiment, a method for detecting counterfeit in drugs
is disclosed. The method includes exciting a second receptacle accommodated with a
first receptacle filled with a drug using one or more loop couplers mounted to the
second receptacle. The one or more loop couplers emit a series of frequency signals
within the second receptacle until the second receptacle attains a resonant mode. The
25 method includes computing dielectric parameters associated with the drug based at least
on interaction between the series of frequency signals with the drug in the resonant
mode. The method further includes performing a quantitative and a qualitative analysis
of the drug to determine counterfeit in the drug based at least on the dielectric
4
parameters measured at the resonant mode. Further, encasing the first receptacle filled
with the drug in the second receptacle and exciting the second receptacle to attain the
resonant mode to compute the dielectric parameters for determining counterfeit in the
drug conform to a microwave cavity perturbation technique.
5
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0008] For understanding of exemplary embodiments of the present
disclosure, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in connection with
accompanying figures in which:
10 [0009] FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a simplified block diagram of an
apparatus for detecting counterfeit in drugs, in accordance with an example embodiment
of the present disclosure;
[0010] FIG. 2A illustrates a first receptacle for accommodating semi-solid
and liquid drugs, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure;
15 [0011] FIG. 2B illustrates the first receptacle for accommodating solid
drugs, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0012] FIG. 2C illustrates a second receptacle configured to encase the first
receptacle accommodated with the drug, in accordance with an example embodiment of
the present disclosure;
20 [0013] FIG. 3A illustrates a bar graph depicting variation of quality factor
(Q) with an amount of a counterfeit material in a sample drug, in accordance with an
example embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0014] FIG. 3B illustrates a bar graph depicting variation of insertion loss
(S21) with the amount of the counterfeit material in the sample drug, in accordance with
25 an example embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0015] FIG. 3C illustrates a bar graph depicting variation of real
5
permittivity (εr) with the amount of the counterfeit material in the sample drug, in
accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0016] FIG. 3D illustrates a bar graph depicting variations in real
permittivity values of the sample drug with fill density, in accordance with an example
5 embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0017] FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for detecting
counterfeit in drugs, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; and
[0018] FIG. 5 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a computing device,
in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.
10 [0019] The figures referred to in this description depict embodiments of the
disclosure for the purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily
recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the systems
and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles
of the disclosure described herein.
15
DESCRIPTION
[0020] In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous
specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present
disclosure. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present
20 disclosure can be practiced without these specific details. Descriptions of well-known
components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure
the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an
understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further
enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the
25 examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0021] Reference in this specification to “one embodiment” or “an
embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in
6
connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present
disclosure. The appearances of the phrase “in an embodiment” in various places in the
specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate
or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover,
5 various features are described which may be exhibited by some embodiments and not
by others. Similarly, various requirements are described which may be requirements for
some embodiments but not for other embodiments.
[0022] Moreover, although the following description contains many
specifics for the purposes of illustration, anyone skilled in the art will appreciate that
10 many variations and/or alterations to said details are within the scope of the present
disclosure. Similarly, although many of the features of the present disclosure are
described in terms of each other, or in conjunction with each other, one skilled in the art
will appreciate that many of these features can be provided independently of other
features. Accordingly, this description of the present disclosure is set forth without any
15 loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the present disclosure.
[0023] Various example embodiments of the present disclosure are
described hereinafter with reference to FIGS. 1A-1B to FIG. 5.
[0024] FIG. 1A illustrates a simplified block diagram of an apparatus (100)
for detecting counterfeit in drugs, in accordance with an example embodiment of the
20 present disclosure. More specifically, counterfeit drugs are often referred to as fake,
substandard or spurious pharmaceuticals. These counterfeited drugs are a major concern
for the health sector as these drugs may include an inadequate concentration of active
pharmaceutical ingredients (API) or may not include any API, or may include
detrimental steroids etc. As explained above, these counterfeited drugs are a major
25 concern for the healthcare sector as the counterfeit drugs may result in treatment
failures, triggering of an adverse immune response, and the like. As such, the apparatus
(100) performs a surveillance and/or rapid screening of the drug supply chain to
determine counterfeit in drugs. In other words, the apparatus (100) is configured to
7
perform a qualitative and a quantitative testing and/or analysis of the API involved in
the drugs to detect the counterfeit in the drugs.
[0025] More specifically, the apparatus (100) includes a first receptacle
(102). The first receptacle (102) is configured to accommodate and/or receive a drug
5 (104) to be tested. In other words, the first receptacle (102) is filled with the drug (104)
to be tested. In one scenario, the drug (104) may be a semi-solid drug. Generally, the
semi-solid drug is partially soluble in a single phase, dispersible in both phases, thus
conforming to a three-phase system. Some non-limiting examples of the semi-solid drug
forms are ointments, gels and/or paste, cream, suppositories, and any other topical
10 dosage forms. In another scenario, the drug (104) may be in form of liquid (or liquid
drug). Some non-limiting examples of the liquid drug forms are solutions, suspensions
and syrups. In yet another scenario, the first receptacle (102) may be configured to
accommodate the drug (104) of a solid form (as shown in FIG. 1B). In this scenario, the
drug (104) (i.e. the solid drug, for example, a tablet or a capsule) may be placed on a top
15 surface of the first receptacle (102) which is further explained in detail. Thus, it is
evident from FIGS. 1A and 1B that the structural configuration and geometric shape of
the first receptacle (102) depend upon the type of drug (semi-solid, liquid or solid) to be
tested.
[0026] As shown, the first receptacle (102) accommodating or holding the
20 drug (104) (either solid, liquid or semi-solid drugs) is placed within a second receptacle
(106). In other words, the apparatus (100) includes the second receptacle (106)
configured to encase the first receptacle (102). The first receptacle (102) is configured
with dimensions for holding sufficient amount of the drug (104) (either solid, liquid or
semi-solid drugs) to be tested. Further, it will be apparent that the second receptacle
25 (106) and the first receptacle (102) are configured with dimensions in conformity to
each other, for encasing the first receptacle (102) accommodating the drug (104) within
the second receptacle (106) for analysis. The dimensions, geometric shape and
structural configuration of each of the second receptacle (106) and the first receptacle
(102) to accommodate the solid drugs, and the semi-solid and liquid drugs are herein
8
explained with reference to FIGS. 2A-2C.
[0027] Referring to FIG. 2A, the first receptacle (102) for accommodating
the drug (104) such as the semi-solid and liquid drugs is illustrated, in accordance with
an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the first receptacle (102)
5 is configured with a cavity (202). The semi-solid and liquid form of the drug (104) that
is to be tested is filled in the cavity (202) of the first receptacle (102). The first
receptacle (102) includes an outer diameter (D1) and an inner diameter (D2). In an
example scenario, the outer diameter (D1) may be of dimension 20 millimeters (mm)
and the inner diameter (D2) may be of dimension 16 millimeters (mm). In other words,
10 the inner diameter (D2) of the first receptacle (102) corresponds to a diameter of the
cavity (202). Further, the first receptacle (102) may be configured with a height (H1) of
8 millimeters (mm). The geometric shape of the first receptacle (102) including the
cavity (202) conforms to a right circular cylindrical structure. As such, the first
receptacle (102) configured with aforementioned dimensions, holds and aligns the
15 samples (i.e. the drug (104) in the semi-solid and liquid forms) at appropriate position
when placed in the second receptacle (106). Additionally, in this case, the drug (104) in
the semi-solid and liquid form may be filled in the first receptacle (102) in varying
concentration for performing tests to determine dielectric parameters associated with the
drug (104) which will be explained further in detail.
20 [0028] Referring to FIG. 2B, the first receptacle (102) for accommodating
the drug (104) such as the solid drugs (e.g., tablets, capsules etc.) is illustrated, in
accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the
geometric shape of the first receptacle (102) corresponds to a cylindrical disc. In an
alternate embodiment, the first receptacle (102) may be configured with any other
25 geometric shapes based on design feasibility and requirement. The solid form of the
drug (104) that is to be tested is placed on a top surface (204) of the first receptacle
(102). In this scenario, the first receptacle (102) may be configured with a diameter
(D3) of dimension 20 millimeters (mm) and a height (H2) of 8 millimeters (mm). As
such, the drug (104) (exemplary depicted to be capsule) placed on the top surface (204)
9
of the cylindrical disc (i.e. the first receptacle) faces one or more loop couplers (see,
110) in axial direction (as shown in FIG. 1B). In this case, the first receptacle (102) may
be configured to different fill densities based on the solid drug for performing tests to
determine the effect of the first receptacle (102) on actual dielectric measurements of
5 the solid drug which will be explained further in detail.
[0029] The first receptacle (102) may be fabricated using poly-lactic acid
(PLA) material. The first receptacle (102) configured with the PLA material may
enhance sensitivity and accurate determination of the dielectric parameters.
Alternatively, the first receptacle (102) may be made of Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
10 (ABS) material, or any other material as per design feasibility and requirement. The first
receptacle (102) may be fabricated using 3D printing technique, or any other fabrication
techniques as per design feasibility and requirement.
[0030] Referring to FIG. 2C, the second receptacle (106) configured to
encase the first receptacle (102) accommodated with the drug (104) is illustrated, in
15 accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The second
receptacle (106) includes a lid (206). In one example scenario, the second receptacle
(106) may be configured with an outer diameter (D4) of dimension 50 millimeters
(mm), an inner diameter (D5) of dimension 48 millimeters (mm) and a height (H3) of
dimension 20 millimeters (mm). Further, the second receptacle (106) includes an
20 aperture (208) for receiving the first receptacle (102) therethrough.
[0031] Additionally, the lid (206) may be configured with a thickness of
dimension 2 millimeters (mm). The lid (206) is operable between a closed position (see,
(108) of FIGS. 1A and 1B) and an open position (see, (210) of FIG. 2C) for encasing
the first receptacle (102) accommodated with the drug (104) within the second
25 receptacle (106). It should be understood that the lid (206) may be configured with
dimensions in conformity to the outer diameter (D4) in order to ensure an airtight seal.
The airtight seal ensures attainment of a resonant mode in the second receptacle (106)
and prevents uncertainties in measurement of the dielectric parameters associated with
10
the drug (104). As shown in FIG. 2C, a geometric shape of the second receptacle (106)
when operated in the closed position (108) conforms to the right circular cylindrical
structure. The second receptacle (106) may be made of copper with silver coating. The
materials used for fabricating the second receptacle (106) provide high conductivity at
5 higher frequencies and prevent conductor loss, thus enhancing the measurements of
dielectric parameters associated with the drug (104). Alternatively, the second
receptacle (106) may be made of aluminum or any other materials as per design
feasibility and requirement. In an embodiment, the second receptacle (106) may be
provided with a gold coating. Similar to the first receptacle (102), the second receptacle
10 (106) may be fabricated using 3D printing technique, casting, or any other fabrication
techniques as per design feasibility and requirement.
[0032] Referring back to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the apparatus (100) further
includes the one or more loop couplers (110). The loop couplers (110) are mounted to
the second receptacle (106). Specifically, the second receptacle (106) is configured with
15 a slot (see, (212) of FIG. 2C) extending from an outer circumferential surface (214) to
an inner circumferential surface (216) of the second receptacle (106). The slot (212) of
the second receptacle (106) allows insertion of the loop couplers (110) therein. For
illustrative purpose, only two slots (i.e. the slot (212)) are configured in the second
receptacle (106), thereby allowing insertion of 2 loop couplers (i.e. the loop couplers
20 (110)) therein. Further, the second receptacle (106) may be configured with any number
of slots based at least on the number of loop couplers.
[0033] The loop couplers (110) are ideally used in radio frequency (RF)
microwave applications where high power sensing is desirable. The loop couplers (110)
are devices configured to divert a fraction of signal on one transmission line to another
25 transmission line. In this implementation, the loop couplers (110) are configured to emit
a series of frequency signals in a radial manner (or radial signaling) within the second
receptacle (106) until the second receptacle (106) attains a resonant mode. The series of
frequency signals within the second receptacle (106) at the resonant mode corresponds
to a resonant frequency. Some non-limiting examples of the loop couplers (110) are
11
quadrature couplers, asymmetrical couplers, coaxial couplers, waveguide loop couplers,
and double ridge waveguide loop couplers.
[0034] Further, the loop couplers (110) are connected to a measuring unit
(112) through cables (114). In one implementation, the loop couplers (110) may be
5 connected to the measuring unit (112) using standard cables (such as the cables (114))
and cable connectors (116). The cable connecters (116) may be a male to female cable
connector configured to connect the loop couplers (110) secured to the second
receptacle (106) to the measuring unit (112). The measuring unit (112) may be a vector
network analyzer (VNA) (also referred as gain-phase meter or an automatic network
10 analyzer) configured to measure network parameters of electrical networks.
Specifically, the VNA analyzer measures frequency response of a subject (e.g., the drug
(104)) or measures S-parameters due to reflection and transmission of electrical
networks at high frequencies. Alternatively, the measuring unit (112) may be a
microwave transition analyzer (MTA) or a large signal network analyzer (LSNA). It
15 should be understood that the cables (114) may be probes (or VNA cables) of the
measuring unit (112) (i.e. the VNA analyzer) connected to the loop couplers (110) via
the cable connectors (116). Examples of the cable connectors (116) may include, but not
limited to, SubMiniature version A (SMA) male to female connector, SMA RF coaxial
connector cable, and the like. In another implementation, the measuring unit (112) may
20 be directly connected to the loop couplers (110) without the cable connectors (116).
[0035] In operation, the first receptacle (102) accommodated with the drug
(104) is encased within the second receptacle (106). As explained above, the first
receptacle (102) including the cavity (202) is filled with the drug (104) of either the
semi-solid form or the liquid form, and the first receptacle (102) configured to be a
25 cylindrical disc receives the drug (104) of solid form on the top surface (204) of the first
receptacle (102). Thus, the first receptacle (102) holding the drug (104) either in form of
one of semi-solid, solid, or liquid form is placed in the second receptacle (106), and the
lid (206) is operated in the closed position (108) (as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B).
12
[0036] Thereafter, the loop couplers (110) emit the series of frequency
signals (or high frequencies) until the second receptacle (106) attains the resonant mode.
The high frequencies for exciting the second receptacle (106) to attain the resonant
mode may be 11.05 Gigahertz (GHz). It should be noted that the second receptacle
5 (106) is excited, prior to placing the first receptacle (102) accommodated with the drug
(104) to record a baseline measurement without the sample
(i.e. the drug (104)). Specifically, the measuring unit (112) records the resonant
frequency at the resonant mode and transmits the measured data to a computing device
(see, (118) of FIG. 1A) communicably coupled to the measuring unit (112). Further, the
10 first receptacle (102) accommodated with the drug (104) (either in form of semi-solid,
liquid or solid) is placed in the second receptacle (106). In this scenario, the measuring
unit (112) records a shift in the resonant frequency (shift towards left side) due to
interaction of the contents (i.e. the drug (104) placed on the first receptacle (102)) with
the series of frequency signals. Thus, shift in the resonant frequency at the resonant
15 mode corresponds to cavity perturbation.
[0037] In general, the microwave cavity perturbation technique is used for
measurement of dielectric constant and dielectric loss of the dielectric materials at Xband microwave frequency (i.e. the resonant mode). As explained above, the shift in the
resonance frequency (or Delta fr) and quality factor (Q) of the cavity (i.e. the second
20 receptacle (106)) without and with dielectric material (i.e. the drug (104)) inside the
cavity are measured. The measuring unit (112) (i.e. the VNA) measures the frequencies
of two low-order cavity resonances of the second receptacle (106), with electric-field
vectors that were respectively vertical and horizontal, and records shift in the resonant
frequency relative to the second receptacle (106) when it is empty. Thus, it should be
25 understood that the cavity perturbation depends on the geometric shape of the first
receptacle (102) and form or type of the drug (104). In other words, the geometric shape
and the fill density associated with the first receptacle (102) for receiving the drug (104)
are based at least on the resonant mode of the second receptacle (106) and the form of
the drug (104).
13
[0038] The dielectric parameters measured for the sample such as the drug
(104) upon perturbing the second receptacle (106) are received by the computing device
(118). The dielectric parameters are quality factor (Q), insertion loss and real
permittivity (εr). In particular, the measuring unit (112) measures real and imaginary
5 part of permittivity based at least on shift in the resonant frequency. It should be
understood that the real part of permittivity is a factor that refers to ability of a material
to store electric field and the imaginary part of permittivity refers to attenuation of
electromagnetic field due to interaction with the material which gives the quality factor
(Q).
10 [0039] Upon receipt of the dielectric parameters measured for the drug
(104), the computing device (118) is configured to perform at least a quantitative and a
qualitative analysis of the drug (104) to determine counterfeit in the drug (104) based at
least on the dielectric parameters. More specifically, the computing device (118) may
include one or more machine learning models (not shown in Figures) that are calibrated
15 or trained with a training data to determine counterfeit in the drugs (e.g., the drug
(104)). The training data includes standard dielectric parameters measured at the
resonant mode for genuine drugs (either in form of semi-solid, solid or liquid). The
genuine drugs refer to the drugs that have appropriate API as per the standards for
triggering immune response in a patient. The computing device (118) performs a
20 comparative analysis of the dielectric parameters (such as the quality factor (Q),
insertion loss and real permittivity (εr)) measured for the drug (104) with the training
data, for identification of counterfeit in the drug (104) (or substandard variants of
genuine drugs). It should be understood that the computing device (118) is configured
to perform qualitative and quantitative testing of solid, liquid and semi-solid drugs to
25 identify counterfeits. Additionally, the computing device (118) is configured to
determine amount of counterfeiting material in the drug (104).
[0040] FIG. 3A illustrates a bar graph (300) depicting variation in dielectric
parameter such quality factor (Q) of a sample drug, in accordance with an example
embodiment of the present disclosure. The sample drug (or the drug (104)) may be the
14
semi-solid drug, for example, Betadine. Betadine includes 5% povidone iodine as an
active ingredient (or API) and other inactive ingredients such as glycerine (i.e. a
stabilizing agent). Prior to performing the analysis, the drug (104) to be tested may be
perturbed with counterfeit material. For instance, Betadine may be counterfeited with
5 Vaseline to understand the variation in the dielectric parameter. It should be understood
that the dielectric parameters are material characteristics. Thus, the dielectric parameter
i.e. the quality factor (Q) is based on the shift in resonant frequency (fr).
[0041] As explained above, to calibrate the apparatus (100), the first
receptacle (102) is placed within the second receptacle (106) and the shift in resonant
10 frequency is measured. The calibration step is vital as the losses in the cavity mode are
additive. The calibration constant obtained is used in dielectric parameters calculations.
Specifically, the delta difference of the frequency is computed as a difference in
resonant frequency from calibrating the apparatus (100) (i.e. exciting the second
receptacle (106) containing the first receptacle (102) without the semi-solid drug filled
15 in it) and exciting the second receptacle (106) containing the first receptacle (102) with
the semi-solid drug filled in it. Further, the delta difference in the frequency is used to
calculate the dielectric parameters of the drug. However, the drug is determined to be
counterfeit containing unacceptable adulteration, if the delta difference is not within a
predetermined limit.
20 [0042] As shown in FIG. 3A, the bar graph (300) depicts the variation in the
quality factor with the increase of perturbation concentration of the sample drug. It
should be known that materials with high quality factor possess lower dielectric losses
(i.e. the quality factor).
[0043] The bar graph (300) is depicted to include a plurality of bars (such
25 as, a bar (302), a bar (304), a bar (306), a bar (308) and a bar (310)) representing the
variation of quality factor based on counterfeit concentration in the sample drug,
Betadine. As shown, the bar (302) represents for 100% of Betadine with no counterfeit
material (i.e. genuine Betadine drug) and a value of the quality factor (Q) for 100% is
15
depicted to be between a range of 200-300. Further, the percentage of the counterfeit
material in the sample drug is represented in the form of a pie chart (as shown in FIG.
3A). For illustrative purpose, the genuine drug (100% Betadine) is indicated with
shading in the pie chart and 100% counterfeit material (Vaseline) is indicated with no
5 shading in the pie chart. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art to determine the
percentage of counterfeit material in the sample drug based on the solid black portion in
the pie chart.
[0044] Further, the bar (304) represents 50% of Betadine with 50% of
counterfeit material (Vaseline), and a value of the quality factor (Q) for 50% of
10 Betadine with 50% of counterfeit material (Vaseline) is depicted to be between a range
of 300-400. Similarly, the bars (306), (308) and (310) represent for 25% of Betadine
with 75% of Vaseline counterfeited, 10% of Betadine with 90% of Vaseline
counterfeited and 100% of Vaseline counterfeited, respectively. It is to be noted that the
value of quality factor for Betadine in each of the bars (306), (308) and (310) linearly
15 increases at a gradual rate with the increase in the amount of counterfeit material
(Vaseline) in Betadine. Thus, the computing device (118) may perform the comparative
analysis using the value of the quality factor of 100% Betadine, to determine the
counterfeit.
[0045] FIG. 3B illustrates a bar graph (320) depicting variation in dielectric
20 parameter such as the insertion loss (S21) of the sample drug, in accordance with an
example embodiment of the present disclosure. The sample drug (or the drug (104))
may be the semi-solid drug, for example, Betadine may be selected for performing
analysis to study the variation in the insertion loss (S21) due to counterfeiting material
(Vaseline).
25 [0046] The bar graph (320) is depicted to include a plurality of bars such as,
a bar (322), a bar (324), a bar (326), a bar (328) and a bar (330) representing the
variation of insertion loss (S21) based on counterfeit concentration in the sample drug,
Betadine. Similar to the bar graph (300), the bar (322), the bar (324), the bar (326), the
16
bar (328) and the bar (330) represent for 100% of Betadine with no counterfeit material
(i.e. genuine Betadine drug), 50% of Betadine with 50% of Vaseline counterfeited, 25%
of Betadine with 75% of Vaseline counterfeited, 10% of Betadine with 90% of Vaseline
counterfeited and 100% of Vaseline, respectively. It is to be noted that the insertion loss
5 (S21) for 100% of Betadine is measured to be -39.41 dB approximately (see, the bar
(322)). Further, the insertion loss (S21) for Betadine in each of the bars (322), (326),
(328) and (330) linearly decreases at a gradual rate with the increase in the amount of
counterfeit material (Vaseline). Thus, the computing device (118) may perform the
comparative analysis using the value of insertion loss (S21) of 100% Betadine, to
10 determine the counterfeit.
[0047] FIG. 3C illustrates a bar graph (340) depicting variation in dielectric
parameter such as the real permittivity (εr) of the sample drug, in accordance with an
example embodiment of the present disclosure. The sample drug (or the drug (104))
may be the semi-solid drug, for example, Betadine may be selected for performing
15 analysis to study the variation in the real permittivity (εr) due to counterfeiting material
(Vaseline).
[0048] The bar graph (340) is depicted to include a plurality of bars such as,
a bar (342), a bar (344), a bar (346), a bar (348) and a bar (350) representing the
variation of real permittivity (εr) based on counterfeit concentration in the sample drug,
20 Betadine. Similar to the bar graphs (300) and (320), the bar (342), the bar (344), the bar
(346), the bar (348) and the bar (350) represent for 100% of Betadine with no
counterfeit material (i.e. genuine Betadine drug), 50% of Betadine with 50% of
Vaseline counterfeited, 25% of Betadine with 75% of Vaseline counterfeited, 10% of
Betadine with 90% of Vaseline counterfeited and 100% of Vaseline, respectively. It is
25 to be noted that the real permittivity (εr) for 100% of Betadine is measured to be -4.68
approximately (see, the bar (342)). Further, the real permittivity (εr) for Betadine in each
of the bars (342), (346), (348) and (350) is found to exhibit similar trend to that of the
bar graph (320) i.e. linearly decreases at a gradual rate with the increase in the amount
of counterfeit material (Vaseline). Thus, the computing device (118) may perform the
17
comparative analysis using the value of real permittivity (εr) of 100% Betadine, to
determine the counterfeit.
[0049] FIG. 3D illustrates a bar graph (360) depicting variation of real
permittivity values of the sample drug with fill density, in accordance with an example
5 embodiment of the present disclosure. The sample drug (or the drug (104)) may be the
solid drug, for example, Rabesec DSR may be selected for performing analysis to study
the variation in the real permittivity (εr) due to counterfeiting material. The drug
Rabesec DSR is a solid capsule containing domperidone (or API) in rabeprazole shell.
The drug Rabesec DSR is counterfeited by proportionately replacing the domperidone
10 with sugar in the rabeprazole shell for performing the analysis. Prior to performing the
analysis, the apparatus (100) is calibrated as explained with reference to FIG. 3A, and
therefore, it is not reiterated herein again.
[0050] The bar graph (360) depicts the variation in the dielectric parameter
such as the real permittivity (εr) based on the fill density of the first receptacle (102). It
15 is to be noted that for each fill density, the bar graph (360) includes a pair of bar for
depicting the variation of the real permittivity for the genuine sample drug and the
counterfeit sample drug. Thus, it is understood that, determining the counterfeit for the
solid drug depends upon the geometric shape of the first receptacle (102). As shown, the
first receptacle (102) is configured with various fill densities, exemplarily depicted to be
20 100% fill density, 75% fill density, 50% fill density, and 25% fill density. It should be
understood that for the capsulated drug such as the Rabesec DSR, the fill density of the
first receptacle (102) should be minimized to diminish the effect of electromagnetic
field distribution within the first receptacle (102) and to calculate the permittivity values
with higher accuracy.
25 [0051] As shown, a bar (362a) and a bar (362b) represent the real
permittivity for the genuine sample drug (Rabesec DSR) and the counterfeit sample
drug, respectively, for 100% fill density of the first receptacle (102). Specifically, the
real permittivity for the genuine sample drug and the counterfeit sample drug for 100%
18
fill density of the first receptacle (102) are exemplarily depicted to be 3.15 and 3.0,
respectively (see, the bars (362a) and (362b), respectively). It is to be noted that the real
permittivity decreases for the counterfeit sample drug. Similarly, the real permittivity
(εr) for the fill density 75% is represented in bars (364a) and (364b), for the fill density
5 50% is represented in bars (366a) and (366b), and for the fill density 25% is represented
in bars (368a) and (368b). It is evident that the value of real permittivity for the fill
densities 75%, 50% and 25% for the counterfeit drug decreases as compared to the
genuine drugs (as shown in FIG. 3D). Thus, the computing device (118) may perform
the comparative analysis using the value of real permittivity (εr) associated with the
10 genuine drugs for a particular fill density to determine the counterfeit.
[0052] FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of a method (400) for detecting
counterfeit in drugs, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The
method (400) starts at step (402).
[0053] At the step (402), the method (400) includes exciting a second
15 receptacle (106) accommodated with a first receptacle (102) filled with a drug (104)
using one or more loop couplers (110) mounted to the second receptacle (106). The one
or more loop couplers (110) emit a series of frequency signals within the second
receptacle (106) until the second receptacle (106) attains a resonant mode.
[0054] At step (404), the method (400) includes computing dielectric
20 parameters associated with the drug (104) based at least on interaction between the
series of frequency signals with the drug (104) in the resonant mode.
[0055] At step (406), the method (400) includes performing a quantitative
and a qualitative analysis of the drug (104) to determine counterfeit in the drug (104)
based at least on the dielectric parameters measured at the resonant mode. Further,
25 encasing the first receptacle (102) filled with the drug (104) in the second receptacle
(106) and exciting the second receptacle (106) to attain the resonant mode to compute
the dielectric parameters for determining counterfeit in the drug (104) conform to a
microwave cavity perturbation technique. The steps involved in determining the
19
counterfeit in drugs are already explained above, and therefore they are not reiterated
herein for the sake of brevity.
[0056] FIG. 5 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a computing device
(500), in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The
5 computing device (500) is an example of the computing device (118) of FIG. 1. The
computing device (500) includes a processor (505) configured to extract instructions
from a memory (510) to provide various features of the present disclosure. The
components of the computing device (500) provided herein may not be exhaustive and
the computing device (500) may include more or fewer components than those depicted
10 in FIG. 5.
[0057] The computing device (500) includes a communication interface
(515). The communication interface (515) may include communication circuitry such as
for example, a wired communication network (the electrical connection). Via the
communication interface (515), the computing device (500) receives the measured data
15 (i.e. the dielectric parameters) from the measuring unit (112). In an embodiment, the
computing device (500) may be configured to compute the dielectric parameters. The
computing device (500) may include one or more machine learning models stored in a
database (520). The machine learning models may be trained with the training data
related to standard dielectric parameters of the genuine drugs. The processor (505) is
20 configured to perform the qualitative and quantitative analysis to determine the
counterfeit in drugs based on the training data. The computing device (500) may also
perform similar operations as performed by the computing device (118). For the sake of
brevity, the detailed explanation of the computing device (500) is omitted herein with
reference to the FIG. 1.
25 [0058] Various embodiments of the disclosure, as discussed above, may be
practiced with steps and/or operations in a different order, and/or with hardware
elements in configurations, which are different than those which are disclosed.
Therefore, although the disclosure has been described based upon these exemplary
20
embodiments, it is noted that certain modifications, variations, and alternative
constructions may be apparent and well within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
[0059] Although various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure are
described herein in a language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts,
5 the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the
specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described
above are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.

CLAIMS
We claim:
5
1. An apparatus (100) for counterfeit detection in drugs, the apparatus (100)
comprising:
a first receptacle (102) configured to accommodate a drug (104) to be tested;
a second receptacle (106) configured to encase the first receptacle (102)
10 accommodating the drug (104), wherein a lid (206) of the second receptacle
(106) is operable between a closed position (108) and an open position (210)
for encasing the first receptacle (102) accommodated with the drug (104);
one or more loop couplers (110) mounted to the second receptacle (106), the one
or more loop couplers (110) configured to provide a series of frequency
15 signals within the second receptacle (106) until the second receptacle (106)
attains a resonant mode, wherein the series of frequency signals within the
second receptacle (106) at the resonant mode corresponds to a resonant
frequency; and
a computing device (118) trained with a training data to perform a quantitative
20 and a qualitative analysis of the drug (104) to determine counterfeit in the
drug (104) based at least on dielectric parameters measured at the resonant
mode for the drug (104) positioned on the first receptacle (102) and encased
within the second receptacle (106).
25 2. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the training data includes
standard dielectric parameters measured at the resonant mode for genuine drugs.
22
3. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dielectric parameters
measured at the resonant mode for the drug (104) comprise one of a quality factor
(Q), real permittivity (εr) and insertion loss.
5 4. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein encasing the first receptacle
(102) accommodated with the drug (104) in the second receptacle (106) and exciting
the second receptacle (106) to attain the resonant mode for measuring the dielectric
parameters conform to a microwave cavity perturbation technique for determining
counterfeit in the drug (104).
10
5. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drug (104) to be tested
that is accommodated by the first receptacle (102) is in form of one of a solid, semisolid, and liquid.
15 6. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first receptacle (102) is
made of poly-lactic acid (PLA) material.
7. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein a geometric shape and a fill
density associated with the first receptacle (102) for receiving the drug (104) are
20 based at least on the resonant mode of the second receptacle (106) and the form of
the drug (104).
8. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the geometric shape of the
first receptacle (102) is of a cylindrical disc for accommodating the drug (104) in
25 form of the solid, and wherein the geometric shape of the first receptacle (102) is of
a right circular cylindrical structure configured with a cavity (202) for
accommodating the drug (104) in form of the semi-solid and the liquid.
23
9. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second receptacle (106)
is fabricated using copper with silver coating, wherein a geometric shape of the
second receptacle (106) when operated in the closed position (108) conforms to a
right circular cylindrical structure.
5
10. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lid (206) operated to the
closed position (108) upon placing the first receptacle (102) accommodated with the
drug (104) within the second receptacle (106) provides an airtight seal in order to
ensure attainment of the resonant mode in the second receptacle (106) and prevent
10 uncertainties in measurement of the dielectric parameters associated with the drug
(104).
11. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the resonant frequency at
which the second receptacle (106) attains the resonant mode is 11.05
15 Gigahertz (GHz).
12. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
a measuring unit (112) electrically coupled to the one or more loop couplers
(110), the measuring unit (112) configured to measure the dielectric
20 parameters of the drug (104) at the resonant mode based at least on
interaction between the series of frequency signals with the drug (104).
13. A method (400) for detecting counterfeit in drugs, the method (400) comprising:
exciting a second receptacle (106) accommodated with a first receptacle (102)
25 filled with a drug (104) using one or more loop couplers (110) mounted to the
second receptacle (106), the one or more loop couplers (110) emit a series of
frequency signals within the second receptacle (106) until the second
receptacle (106) attains a resonant mode;
24
computing dielectric parameters associated with the drug (104) based at least on
interaction between the series of frequency signals with the drug (104) in the
resonant mode; and
performing a quantitative and a qualitative analysis of the drug (104) to
5 determine counterfeit in the drug (104) based at least on the dielectric
parameters measured at the resonant mode,
wherein encasing the first receptacle (102) filled with the drug (104) in the
second receptacle (106) and exciting the second receptacle (106) to attain the
resonant mode to compute the dielectric parameters for determining
10 counterfeit in the drug (104) conform to a microwave cavity perturbation
technique.
14. The method (400) as claimed in claim 13, wherein the quantitative and the
qualitative analysis is performed based at least on a training data, the training
15 data includes standard dielectric parameters measured at the resonant mode for
genuine drugs.
15. The method (400) as claimed in claim 13, wherein the dielectric parameters
measured at the resonant mode for the drug (104) comprise one of a quality
20 factor (Q), real permittivity (εr) and insertion loss.