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Dosage by design - 3D printing individualized cabozantinib tablets with immediate release
Jonas Lenhart1, Dominique J Lunter1
1Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
Summary
3D printing enables personalized medicine by creating patient-specific drug dosages with improved adherence and reduced side effects. This study demonstrates the successful 3D printing of immediate-release cabozantinib tablets in various therapeutic strengths.
Area of Science:
- Pharmaceutical Technology
- Drug Delivery Systems
- Additive Manufacturing
Background:
- Patient-specific dosage forms enhance adherence and therapeutic outcomes.
- 3D printing offers rapid prototyping for customized medication.
- Hot melt extrusion (HME) can improve the bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop 3D printable formulations for immediate-release cabozantinib.
- To investigate the impact of tablet design and excipients on dosage form performance.
- To establish a method for calculating tablet size for predetermined dosages.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Parteck MXP and Kollicoat IR as water-soluble polymer bases.
- Incorporated cabozantinib into 3D printable formulations.
- Investigated excipients (sorbitol, croscarmellose sodium, sodium starch glycolate) and tablet design.
- Collected rheological data to understand melt viscosity.
- Employed a two-step 3D printing process.
Main Results:
- Successfully produced immediate-release cabozantinib tablets with various therapeutically relevant dosages.
- Demonstrated the feasibility of creating patient-specific strengths from a single formulation.
- Gained insights into the role of melt viscosity in HME and 3D printing.
Conclusions:
- 3D printing, combined with HME, is a viable technology for producing patient-specific, immediate-release cabozantinib dosage forms.
- Formulation design and excipient selection are critical for achieving desired drug release profiles.
- A calculable approach for tablet sizing enables the production of customized drug strengths.
