An Overview: Application of Raman Spectroscopy in Pharmaceutical Field

The Raman scattering technique is a vibrational molecular spectroscopy, which derives from an inelastic light scattering process. In recent years, Raman spectroscopy is experiencing a surge in interest in solid-state pharmaceutical applications with increased use both in industry and academia. It is a rapid, non-destructive, non-invasive method which does not require sample preparation and measurements can be done in aqueous environments. It can be used for qualitative as well as quantitative analysis with the assistance of chemometrics. Current pharmaceutical applications cover a broad range from discovery to manufacturing of drugs in the pharmaceutical industry like identifying polymorphs, monitoring real-time processes, detection of counterfeit and adulterated pharmaceutical products and imaging solid dosage formulations. Raman imaging combines spectral and spatial information and generates chemical image of a twodimensional area of a sample. It shows promising results in its ability to visualize the drug and excipients distribution in pharmaceutical formulations such as tablets, creams and ointments. This article explores the above recent applications of Raman spectroscopy in the pharmaceutical field.