Three final guidances and one draft guidance were issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration providing greater regulatory clarity for industry on the use of nanotechnology in FDA-regulated products.

Nanotechnology is an emerging technology allowing scientists to create, explore, and manipulate materials on a scale measured in nanometers. The technology has a range of potential applications, such as improving the packaging of food, and altering the look and feel of cosmetics.

FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, MD, said, “Our goal remains to ensure transparent and predictable regulatory pathways, grounded in the best available science, in support of the responsible development of nanotechnology products. We are taking a prudent scientific approach to assess each product on its own merits and are not making broad, general assumptions about the safety of nanotechnology products.”

For an update on nanotechnology in dermatology, watch this edition of DermTube Journal Club.