Chronotherapy : A Novel Concept In Drug Delivery

Recent advances in chronopharmacology and requirement of an appropriate technology to deliver the drug at specific time and site led to the development of novel type of drug delivery systems as “chronotropic drug delivery systems”. Rationale behind designing these drug delivery systems is to release the drug at desired time (pathophysiological need of disease), which results into improved therapeutic efficacy and patient-compliance. These systems are meant for treatment of those diseases that are caused due to circadian changes in body and when zero order drug release is not desired. These drug delivery systems are designed to release the drug within a short period of time, immediately after a predetermined lag time. Chronotropic systems are promising drug delivery systems in asthma, peptic-ulcer ,cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, attention-deficit syndrome in children and hypercholestremia e.t.c. Approaches like capsular systems, systems with different type of barrier coatings, stimuli sensitive pulsatile systems and externally regulated systems are summarized in this article. This article mainly focuses on diseases requiring chronotropic systems, approaches to design them, recent technologies for chronotherapy and currently available marketed formulations.