Easily monitor substance abuse

PharmChek® Sweat Drug Patch in Green Bay, WI

A Proven Economical Alternative to Urine Testing

The PharmChek® Sweat Drug Patch by PharmChem, Inc. is worn on the skin for up to 10 days or longer and uses sweat as the specimen source. PharmChek® not only acts as a deterrent to continued drug use, but also offers the following advantages:

• Increased window of detection
• Can be used as both a reward or a sanction
• Detects parent drug and drug metabolite
• Tamper Evident
• Variable removal date
• Quick application & removal
• 10-14 days of wear time
• No urine collections
• No undetected substitution, dilution, or adulteration
• Reliable
• Gender indifferent
• Non-occlusive, hypoallergenic collection device
• Cleared as a collection device by FDA on October 4, 1990
• For the detection of Cocaine, Opiates (codeine, morphine, heroin), Amphetamine, Methamphetamine, Marijuana, and Phencyclidine
• Cost Effective

The Patch

The PharmChek® Sweat Drug Patch acts as a collector for nonvolatile components of sweat, including drugs of abuse. It consists of an adhesive plastic film that holds a pad in place against the skin.

The adhesive film of the patch is a semipermeable barrier that allows oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor to pass through so that the skin can breathe normally. Larger molecules (such as drugs) are trapped in the absorption pad portion of the patch. Contaminants from the environment cannot penetrate the adhesive barrier from the outside, so the patch can be worn during normal activities, including bathing, swimming and athletics.

Usage

The PharmChek® Sweat Drug Patch is worn on the upper arm, (lower midriff and lower back are alternative sites). The skin where the patch will be worn is thoroughly and aggressively cleaned with alcohol pads to remove dirt, oil and dead skin cells prior to application. The Sweat Patch should be worn for a minimum of 24 hours to ensure an adequate amount of sweat is collected for testing.

After the patch is worn, the absorption pad is removed and sent with a completed chain-of-custody form to CRL to be tested for drugs of abuse. Clinical studies have shown that drugs and drug metabolites contained in the pad are stable or days at room temperature, and months in a freezer. The Sweat Patch is tamper-evident when applied correctly. A unique number is imprinted on each patch to aid with chain-of-custody identification. The Sweat Patch is also gender-neutral and eliminates the need for same sex observations.

Analysis

Once the pad is received at CRL, any drugs present are washed from it into an extraction solvent and tested by assays similar to those used for testing urine samples.

Immunoassay (ELISA) technology is currently used for the screening test. A positive screening test is confirmed by LC/MS.MS (Tandem Liquid Chromatography/ Mass Spectrometry).

Court Cases

PharmChek® has been upheld as a valid and reliable testing methodology in over 50 state and federal courts, including the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, by The Honorable Sandra Day O’Connor, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, (Ret.), sitting by designation, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 294(a).

Technical and Frequently Asked Questions