Eureka software counters anomalies prevalent in medicine tests

European Union (EU) research network Eureka has developed a software "uncertainty manager", to help pharmaceutical manufacturers manage unpredictable results when testing products for additive concentration, contaminant residues and other microscopic concerns.

Because of the many variables involved, ranging from human error to prevailing weather, even the same test repeated on a single medicine can produce different results. So, the software allows users to input measurement equations, manufacturers and types of measurement tools, sample preparation conditions, types of calibration, environmental conditions and the standardisation of test methods.

The software analyses factors potentially responsible for uncertainties, helping pharmaceutical companies interpret test anomalies.

Knowledge of the uncertainty provides a quantitative indication of the quality of a result, showing how well the result represents the value being measured, said Eureka.