Tailoring drug release in bilayer tablets through droplet deposition modeling and injection molding

This study explores the innovative production of personalized bilayer tablets, integrating two advanced manufacturing techniques: Droplet Deposition Modeling (DDM) and Injection Molding (IM). Unlike traditional methods limited to customizing dense bilayer medicines, our approach uses Additive Manufacturing (AM) to effectively adjust drug release profiles. Focusing on Caffeine and Paracetamol, we found successful processing for both DDM and IM using Caffeine formulation. The high viscosity of Paracetamol formulation posed challenges during DDM processing. Integrating Paracetamol formulation for the over-molding process proved effective, demonstrating IM's versatility in handling complex formulations. Varying infill percentages in DDM tablets led to distinct porosities affecting diverse drug release profiles in DDM-fabricated tablets. In contrast, tablets with high-density structures formed through the over-molding process displayed slower and more uniform release patterns. Combining DDM and IM techniques allows for overcoming the inherent limitations of each technique independently, enabling the production of bilayer tablets with customizable drug release profiles. The study's results offer promising insights into the future of personalized medicine, suggesting new pathways for the development of customized oral dosage forms.