Major Development in the Pharmaceutical and Cosmetics Sector

Important Development in Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Sector Yeditepe Üniversitesi Faculty of Pharmacy's Research and Development and Analysis Laboratory for Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics and Medical Devices has been accredited by the Turkish Accreditation Board. The accreditation will ensure that tests conducted in Turkey for products manufactured in the pharmaceutical, medical device and cosmetics sectors are also valid internationally, and will reduce dependence on foreign services. Yeditepe Üniversitesi Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Aydın, Head of the Research and Development Laboratory for Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics and Medical Devices, and Head of the Department of Pharmaceutical Toxicology at the Faculty of Pharmacy, provided information about the laboratory's accreditation.

"Laboratories Conducting Tests Must Be Accredited for International Recognition"

Recalling that every new product manufactured in the pharmaceutical, medical device and cosmetics sectors must be proven safe before being made available to consumers and must therefore undergo testing, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Aydın stated: "Experiments can be conducted without accreditation, but if you want to ensure a product's international acceptance, the laboratory conducting those tests must be accredited." Prof. Dr. Ahmet Aydın noted that the accredited laboratory conducts in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility tests, genotoxicity tests, in vitro irritation tests, medical device compliance tests and safety assessments, saying: "We are currently performing these tests in our laboratories. Accreditation is proof that these tests are correct, reliable and of high quality beyond any doubt."

"We Are Preventing Unnecessary Use of Laboratory Animals"

Providing information on in vitro tests, Prof. Dr. Aydın said: "Laboratory animals were previously used to evaluate irritation potential in cosmetic products. However, with advanced methods developed today, skin is produced in laboratory conditions from skin cells obtained from human donors. We can test whether a cosmetic product or other product causes irritation to this laboratory-produced skin by applying it. We perform these tests in a fully accredited and internationally recognized manner. This way, we prevent unnecessary use of laboratory animals. This test method was developed in the United States. In Turkey, this test was first conducted at our university in 2011," he said.

"We Have Taken an Important Step to Reduce Foreign Dependence"

Addressing the importance of accreditation for Turkey, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Aydın continued: "We started with the idea that if our industry is manufacturing products, these products should be tested in our country, and we took one of the most important steps to reduce our country's dependence on foreign services. We established these laboratories and obtained accreditation to reach a conclusion accepted by international organizations. When an enterprising industrialist in Turkey manufactures their own product and wants to have it tested at a laboratory recognized internationally, they will not have to send it abroad."

"Products Manufactured in Our Country Will Be Tested and Licensed Here"

Prof. Dr. Aydın stated: "When a Turkish manufacturer uses analytical laboratory services from abroad, it results in an incredible loss of resources. With the accreditation obtained by our university's laboratories, a product manufactured in our country will be tested in our country, will be licensed here and will gain international recognition. By conducting these tests in Turkey, capital leaving the country will be kept domestically."

"We Are Exporting Services"

Prof. Dr. Ahmet Aydın also noted that they provide services to countries abroad, saying: "We are currently conducting toxicological evaluations for products coming from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt and are exporting services."