Methods of forensic examination of codeine in combination drugs

The article addresses the peculiarities of forensic examination of codeine in the composition of combination drugs i.e. the prescription drugs that are available in many pharmacies without a prescription. The procedure for selecting an analytical sample for the study of codeine in the course of multi-objective examinations of materials, substances and products is presented. The composition, dosage forms, trade names and manufacturers of medicinal products containing codeine that are legally available in the pharmacy network in Ukraine are considered. A brief overview of the effectiveness of the use of codeine, an opium alkaloid similar to morphine, but with less pronounced analgesic properties, to achieve a therapeutic effect (antitussive, analgesic, sedative) is provided, as well as examples of abuse in the use of opioids in combination preparations and facts of non-medical use of codeine, especially the artisanal modification of medicines in illegal conditions, which include codeine with the subsequent production of desomorphine. The effectiveness of codeine-containing drugs as painkillers is undeniable, but today, given the risk-benefit ratio, the appropriateness of their long-term use is questioned. Increasingly, there are recommendations to avoid the use of opioids for any therapeutic purposes and to replace them with safer analogues. The article analyses the peculiarities of sampling and sample preparation, the main stages of chemical study of this potentially dangerous opioid using thin-layer chromatography and gas chromatography with a mass-selective detector. The experimental data presented in the article will help in the selection of the most suitable methods and conditions for the study of codeine, and will contribute to a qualified assessment of the research results, in particular, the identification of this substance by the proposed methods.