EAG Laboratories Adds New Capabilities in Dermal Absorption Testing

• EAG Laboratories

EAG Laboratories, a global scientific services company that provides testing, analytical and characterization services to technology- and life-science-related industries, has announced the addition of dermal absorption studies to its suite of GLP-compliant testing services. The company now offers testing outlined in OECD 427 (in vivo studies in rodent models) and OECD 428 (in vitro studies using human and animal skin), which are often performed in parallel to predict dermal absorption in humans (sometimes called “the triple pack” or “parallelogram” approach).

Dermal absorption studies help pharmaceutical manufacturers evaluate skin absorption of topical drug delivery systems and OTC pharmaceutical products. Also known as percutaneous absorption, these analyses provide agrochemical, chemical and cosmetic manufacturers with product risk assessment data following skin exposure.

“Pharmaceutical, consumer products, agrochemical and other chemical industries have a critical need for high-quality scientific partners who understand the regulatory guidelines and can execute complex study designs,” said EAG’s CEO, Siddhartha Kadia, Ph.D. “These new dermal capabilities strengthen EAG’s offering to companies required to assess their products’ potential effects on human health and the environment in accordance with OECD Guidelines.”

Bill Reifenrath, Ph.D., a leading expert in dermal absorption, has joined EAG Laboratories’ Hercules, California location as Senior Scientific Advisor. Having been involved in early research that helped establish test guidelines in the 1990s, Dr. Reifenrath is a pioneer in the development and refinement of dermal absorption techniques used to screen topical pharmaceuticals and evaluate dermal absorption of chemicals for risk assessments. Dr. Reifenrath is an active member of the Society of Toxicology (SOT) and previously served as Councilor and President of SOT’s Dermal Toxicology Specialty Section.

EAG Laboratories performs dermal absorption studies with ¹⁴C radiolabeled or non-radiolabeled test substances in a variety of formulations including solids, dusts, solutions, suspensions and vapor exposures. The company employs a variety of custom-made diffusion cells that can be used for dermal absorption studies with complex products, including trapping devices for mass balance recovery of volatile chemicals.