Like almost every major scientific or medical breakthrough in history, the transdermal delivery of drugs started as only an idea - slowly moving its way from the drawing board to actual testing and eventually approval. Today, there are more than 20 companies involved in transdermal drug delivery. In addition, almost every large pharmaceutical firm has ongoing transdermal delivery programs. But in spite of this effort and after 15 years from the introduction of the Nitroglycerin patch, only six transdermal drugs exist in the marketplace.

The practice has been hampered by the fact that most drugs, as well as many excipients used in the manufacture of transdermal patches, cause skin irritation or skin sensitization. Similar problems exist with the application of dermatologicals and cosmetics to skin, which in many cases are equally as severe as those encountered in transdermal delivery.

Biochemical Modulation of Skin Reactions: Transdermals, Topicals, Cosmetics presents a series of chapters describing technologies and the practical application of biochemicals which might lead to the reduction or abrogation of these skin reaction. In addition, it addresses those areas of skin immunology and skin sciences that account for the processes that control irritant and allergic contact dermatitis and outlines the numerous cellular and molecular factors involved in the development of irritation and sensitization.

Indeed, Biochemical Modulation of Skin Reactions helps serve as a catalyst for further research in the field, allowing for more drugs and cosmetics to be applied to the skin without adverse effects.

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