NIH Seeks Pharma’s Cooperation in Pill ID Project

The National Institutes of Health is asking pharmaceutical manufacturers, wholesalers and repackagers to submit samples of their pills as part of an ongoing push to better identify drug products.

The NIH’s Computational Photography Project for Pill Identification (C3PI) already contains roughly 2,000 validated images of oral solid dosage formulation products sold in the U.S., a Sept. 19 Federal Register notice says. But NIH wants to expand the database even more, and is seeking samples from FDA-registered manufacturers to ensure the products are legal.

The goal of the project is to support public safety measures, such as poison control, emergency response and reduction of medication errors, the NIH said.

View the Federal Register notice at www.fdanews.com/ext/resources/files/09-14/09-19-14-PillFacebook.pdf. — Lena Freund

Originally appeared in Drug Industry Daily, the pharmaceutical industry’s number one source for regulatory news and information. Click here for more information.