HRDS LLC and Emanuel Sferios call for maintaining open-source access to lifesaving overdose prevention technology for psychedelics and opioids Patent application by German startup Miraculix threatens to monopolize harm reduction tools based on established scientific methods
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- HRDS LLC and harm reduction pioneer Emanuel Sferios are challenging a patent application by LeadiX GmbH (operating in the US as Miraculix and referred to here as Miraculix) that seeks to claim ownership over colorimetric quantitative drug testing methods that have been documented in scientific literature for decades. The dispute centers on fundamental harm reduction technology that enables users to test the purity and concentration of substances at home—tools that can prevent overdoses and save lives.
Miraculix has issued a cease-and-desist letter demanding that HRDS LLC stop manufacturing and distributing their Purity Test Kits, despite Miraculix's patent application receiving a failing grade on nearly all claims of novelty and inventiveness by the International Searching Authority (ISA), which reviews all patent applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. The contested methods involve colorimetric analysis, a type of chemical testing that detects substance concentration based on color changes during chemical reactions. Miraculix has a US patent application pending on these same methods.
"These testing methods have been part of the scientific record for nearly 100 years," said Emanuel Sferios, founder of HRDS LLC and the international harm reduction organization DanceSafe. "Attempting to patent established scientific processes is not only legally questionable but ethically problematic when it involves tools that save lives. We've always operated from a place of scientific transparency, giving proper credit to the researchers who developed these reagents decades ago."
Sferios pioneered public drug checking services in the late 1990s, becoming the first person worldwide to offer on-site substance testing at music venues to help users avoid dangerous counterfeit drugs. Over nearly 30 years he has developed harm reduction applications for multiple chemical reagents, established laboratory testing programs for the general public, performed the first lab studies assessing fentanyl test strips for harm reduction use, and helped distribute millions of home test kits globally, always maintaining an open-source approach that prioritizes public health over profit.
This public challenge comes at a critical time as psychedelic research expands and substance use continues to evolve globally. Miraculix's claims may constitute unfair competition and violate antitrust laws, an attempt to intimidate potential competitors to maintain a monopoly where no valid patent exists.
"The attempt to monopolize these fundamental testing methods could significantly harm public health by restricting access to life-saving tools," said Matthew Aragón, business partner of Emanuel Sferios and co-developer of HRDS LLC's purity test kits. "These processes are based on well-established scientific principles that belong in the public domain. No single company should be able to control access to harm reduction technology that communities desperately need."
The dispute highlights broader concerns about the commercialization of harm reduction tools. While some companies use proprietary approaches that conceal the reagents used and obscure the underlying science, HRDS LLC maintains complete transparency about their methods, following established scientific conventions of crediting the original reagent inventors.
"This case could set a precedent that affects the entire harm reduction field," explained Jared Skolnick, Founding Board Member of Grassroots Harm Reduction, a nonprofit that supports peer-based harm reduction organizations and distributes HRDS LLC's Purity Test Kits. "If companies can claim ownership over basic scientific methods, it will stifle innovation and limit access to new and current tools that can keep people safe. The harm reduction community has always thrived on collaboration and open knowledge sharing."
Colorimetric quantitative testing works by measuring how chemical reagents change color when they react with specific substances. The intensity and hue of these color changes correlate with the concentration of the target compound following the Beer-Lambert Law, a scientific principle established in the 18th century. This allows users to determine both the presence and the percentage purity of the active ingredient in their substances. The reagents used in these tests, including Marquis and Hofmann reagents, were developed by scientists decades ago and have been widely used in both laboratory and harm reduction settings.
HRDS LLC's Purity Test Kits represent six months of research and experimentation to optimize these established methods for consumer use, including careful calibration of reagent concentrations to produce reliable color spectrums within practical measurement ranges. This development work builds directly on publicly available scientific knowledge and, according to Sferios, "cannot be anyone's intellectual property."
Sferios and HRDS LLC are calling on Miraculix to withdraw their patent application in the interest of scientific integrity and public health and safety. HRDS LLC has committed to keeping their testing methods open-source and accessible, refusing to seek patent protection for processes they believe are and should remain in the public domain.
As global drug policies evolve and harm reduction approaches gain broader acceptance, this matter underscores the tension between commercial interests and public health priorities. The outcome may influence how harm reduction technologies are developed and distributed in the future.
For more information, see grassrootsharmreduction.org/defend-harm-reduction.
About HRDS LLC
HRDS LLC develops and distributes harm reduction test kits with a commitment to open-source methodology and scientific transparency.
About Emanuel Sferios and Matthew Aragón
Emanuel Sferios founded DanceSafe, the world's largest supplier of drug checking supplies, and has pioneered harm reduction testing methods for nearly 30 years. He left DanceSafe in the Fall of 2023 and currently operates HRDS LLC while working for the nonprofit, Grassroots Harm Reduction.
Matthew Aragón is a harm reduction activist who began organizing at age 15 with Students for Sensible Drug Policy. He holds a B.S. in Population Health and brings a lifelong passion for chemistry to his work expanding access to drug checking tools and drug education.
Media Contact
Brad Burge, Integration Communications, 1 6508636887, [email protected], https://integrationcommunications.com
SOURCE Integration Communications
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