Programmed polymeric devices for pulsed drug delivery

Pharmaceutical research strives to design drug delivery systems that respond to therapeutic needs. Considering the facts that physiologic parameters ( e. g., heart rate, blood pressure, and plasma concentration of hormones, plasma proteins, and enzymes) display constancy over time, drug delivery systems with a constant release profile have been designed. However, because of circadian rhythms in physiologic parameters and pathologic conditions ( e. g., asthma, angina pectoris), the conventional paradigm concerning drug concentrations "the flatter the better" may not be what the organism may need. Instead, to correlate with our biological needs, "precisely timed drug delivery,"which could be accomplished with "programmable dosage forms," is required. Precisely timed drug delivery may maximize therapeutic efficacy, may minimize dose frequency, and may reduce toxicity by avoiding side effects and drug tolerance. This paper outlines the concepts that have been proposed to release drugs in a pulsed manner from pharmaceutical devices.