Customizable orodispersible films: Inkjet printing and data matrix encoding for personalized hydrocortisone dosing

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Technology
• Drug Delivery Systems
• Digital Health

Background:

• Personalized medicine requires flexible and precise drug dosing.
• Traditional drug formulation methods may not meet the needs of individualized treatments.
• Innovations in manufacturing technologies are crucial for advancing pharmaceutical care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop drug-loaded orodispersible films using inkjet printing technology.
• To encode critical drug information within a data matrix pattern on the films.
• To create specialized data matrix generator software for healthcare applications.

Main Methods:

• Development and characterization of hydrocortisone (HC)-loaded pharma-inks.
• Investigation of strategies to enhance HC solubility (e.g., β-cyclodextrin, Soluplus® micelles, co-solvents).
• Utilizing custom software for automated data matrix generation and printing layer identification.

Main Results:

• Successful preparation of flexible, low-dose, drug-loaded orodispersible films.
• Co-solvent systems influenced drug solubility, ink viscosity, and surface tension.
• β-cyclodextrin complexation improved drug deposition, while micelle-based inks were unsuitable for printing.
• The developed software effectively adapted data matrix size and printing layers.

Conclusions:

• Inkjet printing enables the creation of personalized, information-encoded drug delivery systems.
• The specialized software enhances safety and accessibility in personalized medicine.
• This approach offers a revolutionary advancement for tailored pharmaceutical treatments.