title: Capsule shells adulterated with tadalafil.
abstract: Following a health complaint a food supplement was brought in for analysis on the suspicion of being adulterated with a synthetic drug substance. When the capsule content did not show evidence of adulteration, the capsule shell was investigated. Using HPLC-DAD and HPLC-MS the capsule shell was found to contain 2.85 mg of the erectile dysfunction drug tadalafil. Using microscopy and RAMAN spectroscopy the presence of tadalafil was shown throughout the gelatine matrix as particles and dissolved into the matrix. The adulteration is probably carried out by adding tadalafil powder to a gelatine jelly in the manufacturing of the capsules shells. Because this technique may also be used for other drug substances, capsules shells should be considered a vehicle for hiding drug substances in general.
authors.affiliation: RIVM-National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands. Bastiaan.Venhuis@rivm.nl
authors.forename: Bastiaan J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Venhuis
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Marjo J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Vredenbregt
authors.forename: Xiaowei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.forename: Min-Yong
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Low
authors.forename: Dries
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: de Kaste