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Chronopharmacology in Drug Development

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Drug Discovery and Evaluation: Methods in Clinical Pharmacology

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Abstract

The human body is highly organized in time and most functions display significant daily [circadian] and seasonal rhythms. Gene expression in the brain as well in the peripheral tissues has been convincingly demonstrated to be circadian phase dependent for many genes. In addition, seasonal gene expression – with inverse rhythms in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere – has been evidenced as well. Taking into account these rhythmic changes in the body, it is conceivable that also the pharmacokinetics and/or the pharmacodynamics can be rhythmic in experimental animals as well in humans. In this review chronopharmacological findings are compiled demonstrating to what an extent rhythmic changes in the composition of the body in health and disease can contribute to variations in time-dependent drug treatments. The results of clinical chronopharmacological studies in hypertension, asthma, and ulcer disease and treatment of antihyperlipidemia are reviewed.

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The author has no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical Faculty, Mannheim Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg, Maybachst 14, 68169, Mannheim, Germany

    Björn Lemmer

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  1. Björn Lemmer
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Correspondence to Björn Lemmer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. CorDynamics , Dieburg, Germany

    Franz J. Hock

  2. CorDynamics , Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Michael R. Gralinski

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Lemmer, B. (2017). Chronopharmacology in Drug Development. In: Hock, F., Gralinski, M. (eds) Drug Discovery and Evaluation: Methods in Clinical Pharmacology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56637-5_40-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56637-5_40-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-56637-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-56637-5

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