Elan Drug Technologies

In certain cases immediate release of drug is undesirable. A delay of drug action may be required for a variety of reasons. Chronotherapy is an example of when drug release may be programmed to occur after a prolonged interval following administration. Elan Drug Technologies’ Chronotherapeutic Oral Drug Absorption System (CODAS^® Technology) was developed to achieve this prolonged interval.


Benefits offered by the CODAS^®  technology include:

• delivery profile designed to compliment circadian pattern
• controlled onset, extended release delivery system
• rate of release essentially independent of pH, posture and food
• “sprinkle” dosing by opening the capsule and sprinkling the contents on food
• reduction in effective daily dose and drug exposure
• gastrointestinal tract targeting for local effect
• reduced systemic exposure to achieve a target profile

This technology can be tailored to release drug after a predetermined delay. The CODAS^® drug delivery system enables a delayed onset of drug release, resulting in a drug release profile that more accurately compliments circadian patterns.



CODAS^® Product Development
Elan Drug Technologies’ Verelan® PM represents a commercialised product using the CODAS^® technology. This once daily version of the cardiovascular compound verapamil hydrochloride product provides therapeutic concentrations in the morning hours to correlate with normal circadian rises in blood pressure in the early morning.  It is currently marketed in U.S.