Irish firm’s roadside drug test device set for use by British police

AN IRISH firm has developed a revolutionary new roadside drug testing kit which will be used by British police later this year as part of their war on drug driving.

Biosensia, a hi-tech company linked to University College Cork, confirmed yesterday it had signed an exclusive commercial deal with LION in England to distribute the product.

LION, with its American sister company CMI, is one of the largest suppliers of alcohol breath testing equipment to police forces around the world.

The new drug device, which has yet to be named, can detect traces of cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines and methadone in the saliva of suspects up to eight hours after consumption.

Most drug driving tests are taken with a urine sample which is sent to a central laboratory.

But the device will allow police to test a suspect’s saliva at the roadside, giving them a yes or no result within minutes.

It has been demonstrated to the Medical Bureau of Road Safety in Ireland based at UCD and it is hoped the device could be used by gardaí early next year.

In 2005, more than 14,000 people were tested for drink driving compared to just 747 for drug driving, with 424 testing positive, bureau studies have found.

Biosensia CEO, Dr Gabriel Crean, said: “We are particularly pleased that an Irish company is at the forefront of development for this global problem,” he said.

“Drug driving is a recognised issue, with an increasing number of governments looking to introduce roadside drug testing. The time is right for our product."