The occurrence of non‐anatomical therapeutic chemical‐international nonproprietary name molecules in suspected illegal or illegally traded health products in Europe: A retrospective and prospective study. Issue 4 (28th January 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Deconinck, Eric; Vanhee, Celine; Keizers, Peter; Guinot, Pauline; Mihailova, Albena; Syversen, Per Vidar; Li‐Ship, Graziella; Young, Steven; Blazewicz, Agata; Poplawska, Magdalena; Al‐Sayed, Josephine Loasby; Stengelshøj Olsen, Lone; el‐Atma, Oliver; Leist, Roman; Jönsson, Karl‐Henrik; Afxentiou, Maria; Barrios, M. Mendoza; Diaz, I. Dorronsoro; Zemser, Marina; Kozokin, Alla; Hackl, Andreas; Portela, Maria‐Jao; Beerbaum, Nico; Bertrand, Marie
• Is Part Of: Drug testing and analysis. Volume 13:Issue 4(2021)
• Page Start: 833
• Page End: 840
• Publication Date: 2021-01-28
• Subjects: GEON/OMCL network -- illegal medicinal products -- non‐ATC‐INN drugs; Drugs -- Analysis -- Periodicals; Drug testing -- Periodicals; Chemistry, Forensic -- Periodicals; 615.1901
• DOI: 10.1002/dta.3001
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1942-7603

Abstract

Abstract: The General European Official Medicines Control Laboratory (OMCL) Network (GEON), co‐ordinated by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM), regularly organises market surveillance studies on specific categories of suspected illegal or illegally traded products. These studies are generally based on a combination of retrospective and prospective data collection over a defined period of time. This paper reports the results of the most recent study in this context with the focus on health products containing non‐Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical‐International Nonproprietary Name (ATC‐INN) molecules. In total 1104 cases were reported by 16 countries for the period between January 2017 and the end of September 2019. The vast majority of these samples (83%) were collected from the illegal market, while only 3% originated from a legal source. For the rest of the samples, categorisation was not possible. Moreover, 69% of all the reported samples were presented as medicines, including sexual performance enhancers, sports performance enhancers, physical performance enhancers and cognitive enhancers or nootropic molecules that act on the central nervous system (CNS). Although the popularity of anabolics, PDE‐5 inhibitors and CNS drugs in illegal products has already been reported, the study showed some new trends and challenges. Indeed, 11% of the samples contained molecules of biological origin, that is, research peptides, representing the second most reported category in this study. Furthermore, the study also clearly shows the increasing popularity of Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators and nootropics, two categories that need attention and should be further monitored. Abstract : A retrospective and prospective study in 16 countries was performed for the occurrence of non‐ATC‐INN molecules in suspected or illegally traded health products. In total, 1104 cases within the scope of the study were four reported (±6% of the total suspected products analysed by the 16 OMCLs in the same timeframe). The top five non‐ATC‐INN molecules reported were four different anabolics and the research peptide Melanotan. The top five therapeutic categories encountered were anabolics, research peptides, PDE‐5 inhibitors, Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) and central nervous system (CNS) drugs.