Law enforcement agents, narcotics officers, and customs personnel can now identify 34 additional substances and choose from two scan modes with the Thermo Scientific TruNarc handheld narcotics analyzer, according to the company. The latest software update adds new high priority alarm substances including fentanyl derivatives and other highly potent opioid antagonists, cannabinoids, and cathinones.

The TruNarc analyzer uses Raman spectroscopy, a well-established analytical technique, that allows officers to scan a single sample for multiple narcotics in one non-destructive and non-contact test and receive the results within seconds. An increasing number of law enforcement departments are deploying TruNarc to help limit the need to carry multiple chemical tests and reduce drug testing backlogs. The analyzer library can now quickly and accurately identify 498 substances, including 40 fentanyl derivatives.

The continually growing library helps officers address emerging threats in the face of an evolving opioid abuse epidemic. The latest update adds nine opioid antagonists, including three fentanyl derivatives, eighteen cannabinoids, and four cathinone derivatives (bath salts) to the TruNarc library. Users can also now choose between two scan modes, Direct or Type-H, which dictates which library the TruNarc analyzer will reference to help optimize performance.

Additionally, a new archive feature is available in the TruNarc Admin software that allows users to save data from all TruNarc devices to a networked server, meaning all data can be aggregated to a centralized data repository.

"The TruNarc handheld analyzer is a mission-critical tool for many law enforcement and narcotics personnel," said Ginger Xu, product manager, Thermo Fisher Scientific. "This update is a result of our discussions with a number of regulatory agencies, law enforcement, and customs organizations worldwide. We continue to update our software to improve performance and provide better data aggregation capability for our customers."

For more information on the Thermo Scientific TruNarc handheld narcotics analyzer, visit thermofisher.com/trunarc.