3D-printed immediate release solid dosage forms: a patent evaluation of US11622940B2

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is one of the most flexible technologies for preparing tablets, offering controlled drug release profiles. The current patent describes the preparation of immediate-release 3D-printed tablets of hydrochlorothiazide to improve disintegration and dissolution profile. The patent involves the preparation of drug-loaded filament via hot-melt extrusion and utilizing the same filaments for printing 3D-printed tablets using fused deposition modeling. The tablets were printed with different shapes and sizes by incorporating channels within the tablet spaces, termed as gaplets. The introduction of channels within the tablet design improves the disintegration and dissolution profile of the drug significantly. The morphological characteristic of 3D-printed tablets was studied by using scanning electron microscopy and revealed the presence of gaplets in the tablets.