Topical Drug Bioavailability, Bioequivalence, and Penetration

The delivery of drugs through the skin has been used for centuries to relieve illness and disease. In modern society it is incumbent on manufacturers and physicians to ensure the formulations of drugs given to patients are effective and safe, so the testing of existing and new drug formulations has become a key application of skin science. In the 21 years since the publication of the first edition of this book there have been many improvements in the techniques used to measure percutaneous penetration of drugs and chemicals that have found application in assessment of bioavailability and bioequivalence. This book describes and discusses those advances and how they have been used in clinical and scientific investigations. Covering the determination of percutaneous absorption, in vitro drug release and bioequivalence, the book also describes how the targeting of transdermal drug delivery and how more sophisticated mathematical modelling can aid our understanding of the bioavailability of transdermal drugs. The first edition of this book was an important reference guide for researchers working to define the effectiveness and safety of drugs/chemicals that penetrated the skin. The aim of this second edition is to bring the most current knowledge in this area to those seeking to define the bioavailability and bioequivalence of percutaneously active compounds to inform and improve scientific/clinical investigation and regulation.