European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

PULSATILE DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM: A BOON IN PATIENT COMPLIANCE

Hema Jaiswal* and Farogh Ahsan, Juber Akhtar, Badruddeen

ABSTRACT

Pulsatile system is gaining a lot of interest as it is increasing patient compliance by means of providing time and site specific drug delivery system. A pharmaceutical dosage form is capable of delivering the drug into the body in a time controlled pulsatile release fashion, is composed of a multitude of multicoated particulate (beads, pallets, or granules). Drugs which exhibit tolerance should not be delivered at constant rate since the drug effect become less with the passage of time at constant drug level. Drug toxicity also increases with time when levels are held constant. In such cases it is preferable to go for a drug delivery which will provide desired concentration of drug at particular time point only. A delivery system with release profile that is characterized by time period of no release(lag time) followed by a rapid and complete drug release(pulse release) can be called as an ideal pulsatile drug delivery system. Many diseases which follow circadian rhythm like arthritis, asthma, cardiovascular disorders, cancer, hypocholesterolemia are well cured by pulsatile drug delivery system. Different methodologies are being used to prepare pulsatile systems like time dependent, externally regulated (magnetically activated, photo sensitive and electrically stimulated), as well as stimulated systems (pH dependent, temperature dependent) etc. Recent advances in the field of pulsatile drug delivery like CODAS®, DIFFUCAPS®, and TIMERx® are highly demanded in these days.

Keywords: Pulsatile release, chronotherapeutics, time controlled systems, lag time, rupturable coating.