Privately owned TransDermal Technologies Inc. (TTI) began operations in 1990 by developing Penetran®, a product conceived by its founder, Kenneth B. Kirby. Penetran was based on a patent which the company in-licensed. Through the mid-to-late 1990s, TTI began researching transdermal drug delivery technologies, culminating in the development and patenting of its Transdermal Delivery System (TDS®) platform technology.