LGC Standards – helping fight the battle against the new ‘legal highs’

18.03.2010

LGC Standards provides chemical reference materials to identify mephedrone and other new ‘legal highs’

LGC Standards, Europe’s leading supplier of reference materials, has brought together and made available a broad range of reference standards to assist forensic, clinical and toxicology laboratories identify and quantify these cathinone-like chemicals which have recently emerged as ‘legal highs’ across Europe.

These substances are ‘designer’ versions of controlled drugs of the amphetamine and Ecstasy types, rendered legal by the inclusion of a beta-keto group. Although marketed as ‘research chemicals’, ‘plant food’ or ‘bath salts’, and labelled as ‘not for human consumption’, it is clear that they are intended for use as stimulants and euphoriants. Marketing is primarily via internet websites, so the volume of sales is hard to estimate, but reports indicate rapidly increasing use, particularly among younger people. The toxicity of these novel materials is currently unknown. 
 
LGC Standards are making available standards of many of these ‘beta keto’ materials including mephedrone (known by street names such as ‘miaow miaow’ or ‘bubbles’), methylone, ethylone, butylone, methedrone, flephedrone, ethcathinone and MDPV.

Ric Treble, Scientific Advisor at LGC commented “The rapidly increasing use of these materials and moves to bring them under legal control mean that it is vital for laboratories to have ready access to reliable reference materials”.

For further information on these legal high reference standards and other available products, please contact LGC Standards by email: askus@lgcstandards.com or tel: +44 (0)20 8943 8480.

Further information on legal highs can be found at: http://www.talktofrank.com/drugs.aspx?id=3597

Notes to editors

About LGC Standards

LGC Standards (www.lgcstandards.com) provides products and services to improve measurement and quality control within the laboratory, and is part of LGC, whose Research and Technology Division acts as the UK National Measurement Institute for Chemical and Biochemical Measurements. LGC Standards supplies over 20,000 reference materials, pharmaceutical impurity reference standards, proficiency testing and training in analytical quality. LGC Standards is headquartered in Teddington, Middlesex, UK. Its global centre for excellence in proficiency testing is located in Bury (Greater Manchester). LGC Standards has offices in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, China, Russia and the UK, a joint venture presence in India, and representatives in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Romania, Turkey and the US.

About LGC

LGC (www.lgc.co.uk) is an international science-based company and market leader in analytical, forensic and diagnostic services and reference standards. A progressive and innovative enterprise, LGC operates in socially responsible fields underpinning the safety, health and security of the public and the regulation of industry, for UK government departments and blue chip clients.

LGC operates internationally through four divisions - LGC Forensics, Life & Food Sciences, LGC Standards and Research & Technology, which includes specialist laboratories delivering contracts for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and supporting LGC's designated role as the UK's National Measurement Institute for chemical and bioanalysis.

Our operations are extensively accredited to international quality standards such as ISO 17025. With headquarters in Teddington, South West London, the LGC Group employs 1500 staff in 28 laboratories and centres across Europe and at sites in India, China and the US. Privatised in 1996 and now majority-owned by funds managed by Bridgepoint, LGC was founded almost 170 years ago as the Laboratory of the Government Chemist - a statutory function maintained by LGC today.