Clinical pharmacology for development of topical dermatological products: present and future opportunities for safety and efficacy.

The development of topical products for dermatological diseases represents an untapped opportunity for the clinical pharmacologist. Assessment of bioavailability of topical drugs and its utility in weighing benefit vs. risk has been unique and challenging, compared with assessments for conventional systemic drugs. However, with continued advances in analytical methods and growing interests in discovering biomarkers, the future opportunities for clinical pharmacology to advance topical drug development processes are enormous and will be limited only by our drive and determination to push science forward.