• Ji Hyun Lee, Han Na Park, Nam Sook Kim, Seongsoo Park, Ganganna Bogonda, Kyungsoo Oh, and Hoil Kang.
• Division of Advanced Analysis, Toxicological Evaluation and Research Department, National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28159, Republic of Korea.
• Forensic Sci. Int. 2019 Oct 1; 303: 109932.

AbstractWith the increasing prevalence of obesity, the use of counterfeit drugs for weight loss is widespread owing to their easy and rapid availability. Since counterfeit weight-loss drugs are not prepared under the rigorous standard of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), they pose a risk to public health and cause significant side effects. To counteract the risk posed by counterfeit drugs, we investigated counterfeit weight-loss drugs seized by the Incheon Customs Services using UHPLC-PDA. Five of 23 confiscated samples with distinctive pink-coloured coating contained levothyroxine, sennoside A and B, and phenolphthalein in amounts ranging from 0.03-132.40 mg/g. In addition, three unknown compounds in one of the adulterated samples containing phenolphthalein were structurally elucidated by several analytical techniques. Their accurate masses corresponded to molecular formula of C34H22O7, C34H20O6, and C20H12O3, respectively. These compounds were identified as impurities, possibly produced during the synthesis of phenolphthalein or by improper removal during purification. These impurities were detected for the first time in counterfeit drugs.Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.

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