Broughton’s upgraded Tox HQ to fast-track toxicological assessments

To simplify the process of toxicology assessment, testing and regulatory consultancy Broughton has launched the latest version of Tox HQ, an online data-driven tool that allows customers to confidentially submit its products for toxicological assessment. Tox HQ acts as a chemical repository, storing the properties of chemicals, hazard assessments, health-based guidance values and toxicological information, and a tool for building mixtures and formulations, to enable quick risk assessments of constituents both individually and collectively, thus helping to streamline processes and save customers’ crucial time and money.

Initially established for the assessment of e-cigarette products, Tox HQ can be used across all of Broughton’s focus areas that require toxicological assessment, including nicotine, pharmaceutical and medicinal cannabis. Customers can view the system and define access to their products. With the further option of ‘blinding’ of chemicals in place, confidential information can be safeguarded.

Tox HQ includes the visibility of a product’s ingredients and hazards and utilises a comparison of estimated usage with maximum safe levels to provide a risk assessment. Real-time tinkering of ingredient levels enables a ‘quality by design’ functionality to improve product safety profiles.

“As it allows us to be more efficient as a company, Broughton can now provide quicker delivery for its customers,” explained Dean Hatt, Senior Toxicology Consultant and Toxicology Manager at Broughton. “We can proactively populate the system with checked toxicology information and at the press of a button it will create a toxicology profile. This can generate huge savings for customers and helps reduce lead time by several weeks.”

Tox HQ has a repository that consists of over 400 chemicals, from the nicotine, cannabis and pharmaceutical sectors. It also has the potential to load customer report templates thus allowing any customer with a product to use the system’s existing information to develop a large range of toxicology reports. The data repository is constantly growing as new chemicals are added and the information updated.

The system has untold future potential both in integration with analytical data that Broughton generates on its existing Lab HQ platform but also in the ability to link product materials with chemicals and degradants to facilitate E&L assessments.

Tox HQ provides benefits throughout the product development process, for those assessing the suitability of formulations and devices at the start of their journey, through to testing of final products which form part of a regulatory submission.

About Broughton Group

Broughton is an independent life sciences contract research organization serving a global roster of clients from the UK, Europe, North America, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. We offer high-quality in-house analytical testing services integrated with scientific consultancy and global regulatory support. Our in-house laboratory testing facilities are GMP compliant and ISO/IEC 17025 accredited. We are regularly inspected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

With over 15 years of scientific experience and a world-leading team of scientific and regulatory consultants, we support our partners in bringing innovative products to market to deliver better health outcomes.