This review paper discusses and explains new developments in Raman-based analytics that are especially important for modern pharmaceutical applications and procedures. The first section introduces Raman modalities that have a lot of potential for on-site applications in the pharmaceutical sector as well as in research and development. The second section offers an overview of innovative Raman spectroscopic instruments and the wide range of possibilities in terms of their analytical capabilities and identifying sample features. The third section will go into greater detail on photonic data science, which is a key factor in the development of Raman-based technology and helps to standardize Raman spectral analysis.
This review article was published in the Special Issue “On-site an in vivo Instrumentation and application of TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry”. For a broad and application-oriented readership, important trends and novelties in Raman-based analytics with a focus on pharmaceutical applications are presented and explained. Thus, the interest in the three main topics of Leibniz IPHT, biophotonics, fiber optics and photonic detection, is promoted and a broad attention for optical health technologies is generated.