Turning a popular hay fever remedy into methamphetamine鈥攐r
鈥渟peed鈥濃�攊s a common trick among the backstreet chemists who produce many
illicit drugs. Now Warner-Lambert of New Jersey has found a way to prevent
decongestant pills being used as a feedstock for speed by giving them a new
coating (WO 00/15261).
Pharmacists sell pseudoephedrine hydrochloride as an over-the-counter
decongestant for colds and hay fever. Drugs companies add 鈥渂locking鈥� chemicals
that prevent the pills being turned into speed. But criminals have learned how
to extract the pure drug. Now Warner-Lambert has found that a coating of amino
polymer not only blocks the conversion to speed, but standard extraction
techniques cannot separate the additive.
