Chronopharmacology: Tailoring Therapy to Endogenous Rhythms.

ABSTRACT

Chronopharmacology aims at the use of biological rhythms in the clinical treatment so as to enhance both effectiveness and tolerance and minimize the side effects of a drug by determining the best biological time for its administration. Chronopharmacology is useful to solve problems of drug optimization. In the human organs, the metabolic fate of a pharmacologic agent as well is not constant as a function of time. Thus, the chronobiological approach of drug administration involves a lesser risk of errors than the conventional homeostatic approach. Chronopharmacology is now used as a routine to treat various disorders like hypertension, angina, cancer and various psychotic disorders. The newer drug delivery systems that are designed with the chronopharmacological approach hold great scope for delivering better patient care in terms of efficacy, tolerance and safety parameters of the drug. This review aims at introducing chronopharmacology, the role of the regulatory system of biological clock in pharmacotherapy and the benefits it has conferred in various clinical conditions.