Pulsatile Drug Delivery System: An "User-Friendly" Dosage Form

In the body under physiological conditions, many vital functions are regulated by transient release of bioactive substances at a specific time and site. Thus, to mimic the function of living systems and in view of emerging chronotherapeutic approaches, which lead to development of pulsatile system that release a therapeutic agent at a rhythm that ideally matches the biological requirement of a given disease therapy. Diseases where a constant drug levels are not preferred, but needs a pulse of therapeutic concentration in a periodic manner and diseases with established oscillatory rhythm in their pathogenesis includes asthma, arthritis, duodenal ulcer, cancer, cardiovascular diseases acts as a push for the development of "Pulsatile Drug Delivery Systems". In these systems, there is rapid and transient release of a certain amount of drug molecules within a short time-period immediately after a predetermined off release period. Various techniques are available for the pulsatile delivery like pH dependent systems, time dependent systems, etc. Pulsatile drug delivery system providing special and temporal delivery and increasing patient compliance. Pulsatile drug delivery system is defined as the rapid and transient release of certain amount of molecules within a short time period immediately after predetermined off-release periods i.e. lag time. Advantages of the pulsatile drug delivery system are reduced dose frequency; reduce side effects, drug targeting to specific site like colon and many more. Now in market varies technologies of pulsatile drug delivery system like OROS, CODAS etc. are launched by pharmaceutical companies.