Chronotherapeutic dosage forms and methods of treatment using chronotherapy

1. A delayed release oral solid dosage form, comprising a core comprising a therapeutically effective amount of a drug, and an agglomerated delayed release material compression coated onto said core, said delayed release material consisting essentially of an effective amount of xanthan gum and locust bean gum and an optional ingredient selected from the group consisting of a saccharide, an ionizable gel strength enhancing agent, a surfactant, a hydrophobic material, and any combinations thereof, said delayed release material providing a delay of the release of said drug from said dosage form until after a period of time from about 2 to about 18 hours after exposure of the dosage form to an aqueous solution.

2. The delayed release oral solid dosage form of claim 1 , wherein said xanthan gum and locust bean gum are agglomerated with said saccharide material prior to being compression coated onto said core.

3. The delayed release oral solid dosage form of claim 1 , which delays release of said drug until at least about 4 hours after exposure of the dosage form to an aqueous solution.

4. The delayed release oral solid dosage form of claim 1 , wherein said ionizable gel strength enhancing agent is selected from the group consisting of calcium sulfate, sodium chloride, potassium sulfate, sodium carbonate, lithium chloride, tripotassium phosphate, sodium borate, potassium bromide, potassium fluoride, sodium bicarbonate, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, sodium citrate, sodium acetate, calcium lactate, magnesium sulfate, sodium fluoride, and mixtures thereof.

5. The delayed release oral solid dosage form of claim 4 , wherein said ionizable gel strength enhancing agent is calcium sulfate.

6. The delayed release oral solid dosage form of claim 1 , wherein said surfactant is selected from the group consisting of anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, amphoteric (amphipathic/amphophilic) surfactants, and non-ionic surfactants.

7. The delayed release oral solid dosage form of claim 1 , wherein said hydrophobic material comprises ethylcellulose.

8. The delayed release oral solid dosage form of claim 2 , wherein said saccharide is selected from the group consisting of sucrose, dextrose, lactose, fructose, mannitol, and mixtures thereof.

9. The delayed release oral solid dosage form of claim 1 , wherein said core further comprises from about 5 to about 20 percent disintegrant, by weight.

10. The delayed release oral solid dosage form of claim 9 , wherein said disintegrant is a superdisintegrant.

11. The delayed release oral solid dosage form of claim 9 , wherein said disintegrant is selected from the group consisting of starch, veegum, crospovidone, cellulose, kaolin, microcrystalline cellulose, crosslinked polyvinyl pyrrolidone, and mixtures thereof.

12. The delayed release oral solid dosage form of claim 10 , wherein said superdisintegrant is selected from the group consisting of croscarmellose sodium, crospovidone, crosslinked carboxy methyl cellulose, sodium starch glycolate, and mixtures thereof.

13. The delayed release oral solid dosage form of claim 1 , wherein said core further comprises an inert diluent selected from the group consisting of sucrose, dextrose, lactose, microcrystalline cellulose, fructose, xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol, starches, mixtures thereof.

14. The delayed release oral solid dosage form of claim 1 , wherein said core is an immediate release core.

15. The delayed release oral solid dosage form of claim 1 , wherein said core further comprises a sustained release carrier.

16. The delayed release oral solid dosage form of claim 1 , wherein said xanthan gum is in an amount of from about 20 to about 80 percent of the delayed release material and said locust bean gum is in an amount of from about 80 to about 20 percent of the delayed release material.

17. A method of preparing a chronotherapeutic oral solid dosage form of a drug, comprising:

preparing a core comprising a therapeutically effective amount of a drug and from about 5 to about 20% of an optional disintegrant, by weight of the core,

preparing an agglomerated delayed release material consisting essentially of xanthan gum and locust bean gum and an optional ingredient selected from the group consisting of a saccharide, an ionizable gel strength enhancing agent, a surfactant, a hydrophobic material, and any combinations thereof,

compression coating said agglomerated delayed release material onto said core, said compression coating delaying the release of said drug from said dosage form until after a period of time from about 2 to about 18 hours after exposure of the dosage form to an aqueous solution.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising preparing said agglomerated delayed release material by wet granulating said xanthan gum and said locust bean gum together with said optional ingredient to form a granulate, and drying the resultant granulate to obtain agglomerated particles of said delayed release material.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising granulating said drug, said optional disintegrant, and a pharmaceutically acceptable inert diluent prior to said compression coating step.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein said disintegrant is a superdisintegrant incorporated into said core in an amount effective to cause the release of at least about 50 percent of said drug into said aqueous solution within one hour upon completion of the time period for said delayed release.

21. The delayed release oral solid dosage form of claim 1 , wherein said xanthan gum and locust bean gum are in a combined amount of from about 5% to about 70% of the total dosage form, by weight.

22. The delayed release oral solid dosage form of claim 1 , wherein said xanthan gum and locust bean gum are in a combined amount of from about 6.5% to about 83% of the total dosage form, by weight.