RYAH Group, Inc. announced a collaboration with the University of Milan, Italy to conduct permeation and effectiveness testing of a new wellness line of topical patches developed by RYAH and specifically designed for the RYAH Smart Patch system. A team of scientists at the University will be conducting various tests to determine permeation effectiveness of vitamin and nutraceutical patches as an alternative slow-release, non-digested solution to consumer intake, and using the RYAH Smart Patch `boost capability' to monitor and calculate the effectiveness precise, intermittent heat has on the delivery of the patch loadings. The project is being led by Professor Antonella Casiraghi, PhD, Researcher and Professor in charge of formulations and pharmaceutical technology, and Professor Paola Minghetti, Head of the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Milan.

The project will be coordinated locally by Andrea Ferrari, Head of RYAH European Business Development and based in Italy. The global nutraceuticals market is anticipated to reach $441.7 billion by 2026 with a CAGR of 7.8%. In 2021, the United States accounted for 34.57% of the global Nutraceutical market or $104.5 billion.

Nutraceuticals are significantly increasing in popularity in recent years as a result of the rise of preventative care, the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in various trends including changing lifestyles, evolving dietary habits, aging population, and increased life expectancy. There have been a number of research papers that discuss the potential for increased permeation of certain topical formulations when exposed to a reasonable increase in heat. A 2017 paper, published in Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery, suggested heat as a possible design feature to improve transdermal drug delivery and effectiveness.

The RYAH Smart Patch is an IoT powered connected device that provides deep insights, giving consumers the ability to monitor and track their patch formulation usage, body location of patch, length of use, and personal effectiveness. The Smart Patch also offers a pre-scheduled or ad hoc `boost' capability for specific formulations that may experience increased permeability with a precise, controlled, and gentle heating capability.