“We have demonstrated the fundamental concept of the technology and are now getting ready for field tests later this year” Muhammad Hamid Zaman. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI:

A leading American science magazine has listed a technology by a Pakistani scientist in its ‘World Changing Idea’ list– the magazine’s annual feature for the recognition of the world’s top ten technologies that have potential to change the world.

On November 19, Scientific American – a reputable science journal based in the United States (US) – recognised Muhammad Hamid Zaman, a Pakistani biomedical engineer, for his innovative product Pharmacheck, which was chosen by the magazine as one of the world’s top 10 technologies for its December, 2013 issue.

Every year, the magazine chooses 10 technologies that have the potential to change the world and publish this list. The selection process, Zaman told The Express Tribune, is controlled only by the journal and no one can nominate himself as they make their own selections based on the potential impact of the discovery or technology.

Pharmacheck is a technology that is able to test the drug quality and its potency in a matter of minutes, Zaman said. It is not just a scratch code to see if the packaging is right, it tests the ingredients of the drugs and whether they are in the right amount and right chemical composition, he said. “We hope to bring it to the market for commercial use within the next 12 to 18 months.”

According to the Scientific American, up to 30% of medicines in developing countries are substandard that can cause severe side effects and death. Many of these countries lack routine inspections or have scarce testing equipment. Pharmacheck, it says in its November 20th-report, may offer a portable, inexpensive and informative solution.

Though this recognition is awarded from a global perspective, the product has huge implications for Pakistan and its medicine regulation, believes Zaman who is Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Medicine and International Health at Boston University.

“I grew up in Pakistan so I have always known the challenges associated with drug quality,” the biomedical engineer said, explaining what led him to come up with this idea. “But it was two years ago that we were approached by the US Pharmacopeia and the United States Agency for International Development to address the global problem of substandard and counterfeit drugs that kills hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.”

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