Over twenty new drug metabolism assays launched by Absorption Systems

Absorption Systems, a leader in drug safety and ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity) testing, today announced the introduction of a more complete series of drug metabolism assays designed to support the pharmaceutical R&D process, from early-stage discovery through late-stage clinical development. The tests are intended to provide researchers with a more comprehensive picture of the role that metabolites, which are generally associated with the body’s detoxification process, play in drug safety. If metabolites are not produced by and eliminated from the body in a timely fashion, a drug’s active ingredients can accumulate and increase the potential for adverse reactions.

“This expanded series of assays helps our customers develop drugs with more desirable properties and fewer liabilities,” commented Patrick M. Dentinger, president and CEO of Absorption Systems. “These offerings are in keeping with our mission to help our pharmaceutical and biotech clients by designing and performing studies that get them to the point of FDA submission as quickly as possible.”

Absorption Systems is offering more than 20 new drug metabolism assays. Highlighted assays include:

• Biomimetic Oxidation: Using an artificial test system, Absorption Systems can optimize reaction conditions to focus on metabolite(s) of interest. This system is an efficient and cost-effective way to produce sufficient quantities of oxidative metabolites for in vitro drug interaction testing.
• Time Dependent Inhibition: This assay is used at an early stage to identify compounds that inhibit drug-metabolizing enzymes irreversibly. Such compounds can have powerful interactions with other drugs that are taken at the same time, leading to serious and unexpected adverse effects.
• Metabolite Identification: This assay, implemented at an early stage of drug development, can flag potentially toxic drug metabolites and optimize preclinical safety testing. In addition, this assay is necessary to identify metabolites that may require their own separate safety testing.