Related Experiment Videos
Oral dosage forms fabricated by three dimensional printing.
W E Katstra1, R D Palazzolo, C W Rowe
1Department of Materials Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Summary
Three Dimensional Printing (3DP) enables complex pharmaceutical oral dosage form fabrication. 3DP tablets show tunable drug release profiles and mechanical properties comparable to conventional methods.
Area of Science:
- Pharmaceutical Technology
- Drug Delivery Systems
- Additive Manufacturing
Background:
- Three Dimensional Printing (3DP) is an emerging technology for pharmaceutical manufacturing.
- It allows for precise engineering of complex dosage form geometries and drug incorporation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the fabrication of oral dosage forms using 3DP.
- To evaluate the drug release characteristics and mechanical properties of 3DP tablets.
Main Methods:
- Tablets were fabricated using 3DP with varying polymer content for erosion and diffusion-based drug release.
- Drug release, lag time, peak release rate, hardness, and friability were assessed.
- Active delivery studies used fluorescein to quantify drug content accuracy.
Main Results:
- Erosion-based tablets exhibited 25-50 min lag times, decreasing release rates with increased polymer content.
- Diffusion-based tablets showed decreased peak release rates and increased exhaustion times with higher polymer content.
- 3DP demonstrated accurate delivery of low active concentrations (10^-12 moles) and produced tablets with comparable hardness and friability to standard products.
Conclusions:
- 3DP is a viable technique for fabricating complex oral drug delivery systems.
- The 3DP process allows for controlled modulation of drug release profiles.
- Fabricated dosage forms possess suitable mechanical integrity for pharmaceutical applications.