Cork company’s breakthrough in drug-driving test
The system is being developed by Biosensia, a Cork-based technology company, and comes following news that the Government’s new road safety strategy is likely to recommend roadside testing for prescription and non-prescription drugs.
Although there is limited empirical information on the impact of drugs abuse on Irish road accidents, 16% of motorists tested for drugs by the Medical Bureau of Road Safety (MBRS) in 2006 were positive. According to MBRS research, one in three drivers who test negative for alcohol subsequently test positive for drugs.
The vast majority of current drug tests are taken with a urine sample sent to a central laboratory. Biosensia is meeting the roadside challenge by creating a portable, hand held device that can be used by non-medically trained staff, giving a “yes/no” result in a matter of minutes from a small swab of a subject’s saliva. The new testing devices are also designed to withstand extremes of temperature, as well as continuous field usage by police forces.
It is expected that the first Biosensia technology-based kits will be manufactured in early 2008.
The Biosensia device can also address the detection of drug abuse in the workplace.
The market for drug abuse testing as a whole is estimated to be €1.6 billion and the Cork company has signed an exclusive commercial agreement with LION to distribute the product in Britain.
Biosensia has already shown its technology to the Medical Bureau of Road Safety in Ireland and members of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Britain, where usability tests are scheduled later this year.
According to the company, there is already “very strong interest” from the relevant authorities.
Biosensia chief executive Dr Gabriel Crean said that 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.”
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