In vivo percutaneous penetration/absorption. Sponsored by the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientist, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, American Academy of Dermatology, Skin Pharmacology Society and the U.S. Army Environmental Hygiene Agency May 1-3, 1989, Washington, DC

This workshop, 'In Vivo Percutaneous Penetration/Absorption' was held in Washington, DC, on May 1-3, 1989. The first workshop in this series, 'In Vitro Percutaneous Penetration', took place in November 1986 (the report of this earlier meeting was published in Pharmaceutical Research, 4 (1987) 265-267). The objectives of the workshop were to review the relevant literature and to address in detail: (1) In vivo percutaneous penetration/absorption methodology; (2) The characteristics of dosage forms designed for application to the skin; (3) Critical factors controlling in vivo drug transport into and across the skin; (4) The use of models in the assessment and evaluation of in vivo percutaneous penetration/absorption; and (5) Bioavailability/bioequivalence considerations for topical drug products. Scientific knowledge and technology are rapidly evolving in the topical and transdermal drug products area. This report focuses on the methodologies available for the measurement of percutaneous penetration in vivo; each scientific approach is discussed briefly followed by advantages and disadvantages of the methodology.