Customizable drug tablets with constant release profiles via 3D printing technology

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Personalized medicine requires tailored drug formulations for individual patient needs.
• Current drug manufacturing methods offer limited customization in dosage, release profiles, and drug combinations.
• Optimizing drug release is crucial to prevent adverse effects and ensure therapeutic efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple, low-cost, and efficient 3D printing method for fabricating customizable drug tablets.
• To enable precise control over drug dosages, release durations, and combinations within a single tablet.
• To facilitate the realization of personalized medicine through accessible drug manufacturing.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing 3D printing technology to fabricate drug tablets via a templating approach.
• Customizing tablets by adjusting excipient amounts, tablet height, and the number/dosage of incorporated drugs.
• Investigating the fabrication process using common drugs like paracetamol, phenylephrine HCl, and diphenhydramine HCl with FDA-approved excipients.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated drug tablets with customizable dosages, release profiles, and drug combinations.
• Demonstrated a simple templating method for efficient and reproducible tablet manufacturing.
• Validated the use of common pharmaceuticals and approved excipients in the 3D printing process.

Conclusions:

• The 3D printing templating method offers a viable approach for producing personalized drug tablets.
• This technology enables low-cost, efficient, and safe manufacturing of customized medications.
• The accessibility of this method promotes the widespread adoption of personalized medicine principles.