ABSTRACT:
Chronotherapeutic drug delivery systems are gaining a lot of interest in this epoch of novel drug delivery systems. Chronotherapeutics refers to a treatment method in which in vivo drug availability is timed to match rhythms of disease in order to optimize therapeutic outcomes and minimize side effects. The principle rationale behind designing these delivery systems is to release the drug at desired time as per the pathophysiological need of disease, resulting in improved patient therapeutic efficacy and compliance. Floating pulsatile concept is applied to increase the gastric residence of the dosage form having lag phase followed by a burst release. The majority of drug releases in a specific part of GIT, which may be distal part of the small intestine or the colon depending on the prearranged lag time. This system is used for the time and site specific release of drugs acting as per chronotherapy of diseases includes asthma, hypertension, osteo - and rheumatoid arthritis etc. This current review article focuses on chronotherapy, diseases requiring chronotherapeutics, pulsatile drug delivery specifically floating pulsatile drug delivery and recent trends in this technology.