New biomarker extends detection window for GHB

A new method developed at the University of Zurich’s Institute of Forensic Medicine can help detect GHB, a drug used to incapacitate victims, for longer after it has been taken, SRF reports.

Until now, GHB could be detected for up to six hours in blood and 12 hours in urine. Andrea Steuer, deputy head of the institute’s forensic pharmacology and toxicology department, said samples are often not collected within those windows, making it difficult to establish whether the drug was used.

The new method detects a substance produced when the body processes GHB. In controlled studies in which the drug was given to healthy volunteers, the marker was detectable in all participants after 28 hours. It remained detectable in most participants two days after taking GHB and, in some cases, for up to three days.

The institute has incorporated the marker into its testing method, allowing it to make more concrete findings when samples are collected later, including after 24 hours. Steuer said people should still arrange for samples to be collected as soon as possible.

Steuer said the limited detection window for GHB is a problem for forensic medicine institutes worldwide, and that the method could be of interest internationally.