A company considered as a pioneer in hair testing announced on Tuesday that it has been issued its 7th United States Patent, which focuses on liquefying hair in order to release drug analytes.

The patent, which was awarded to Psychemedics Corporation, is dedicated to liquefying hair and releasing the drugs trapped in the hair, without destroying the drugs. The method may be used in a broad range of immunoassay techniques, mass spectrometry methods, and chromatographic procedures.

Raymond C. Kubacki, chairman and chief executive officer of Psychemedics, shared: “We are pleased to have received this patent which is fundamental to all hair analysis drug testing. This patent covers the efficient digestion of hair and release of the drugs without destroying the drugs—getting virtually 100% of the drug out of the hair. This is fundamental to hair analysis drug testing because if you cannot get the drugs out of the hair, the drugs cannot be measured… Our ability to successfully release drug analytes from hair enables us to accurately identify more drug users, setting Psychemedics apart from all other hair testing techniques.”

The popularity of hair drug testing is increasing, as it is less invasive than urine testing, is harder to falsify, and has an extended detection window. In addition, it is also more difficult to tamper with the specimen, which can be collected from anywhere on the body. This means that even someone who is bald or shaves his head may undergo hair drug testing.