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Pharmacological Half-Life Extension

Meaning

Pharmacological Half-Life Extension is a drug development strategy focused on chemically or structurally modifying a therapeutic agent to increase its biological half-life, which is the time required for the concentration of the drug in the body to be reduced by half. This extension results in a prolonged duration of action, allowing for less frequent dosing and maintaining more stable, consistent therapeutic blood levels. Clinically, this is vital for adherence and for minimizing the physiological fluctuations associated with hormones or other compounds that require sustained receptor activation for optimal effect. This engineering technique improves the pharmacokinetic profile of a compound.