3D printing for personalized formulations: individual dosing strategies for propranolol hydrochloride tablets

3D printing technology is characterized by highly personalized, small batch production, and excellent reproducibility. These features enable it to address the limitations of traditional dose-dividing methods currently employed in medical institutions, thereby fulfilling the diverse dosing requirements of patients. In this study, we developed two individual dosing strategies for formulating 3D printing pharmaceutical formulations (3DPF) and 3D printing divided-dose tablets (3DPDT). Specifically, 3DPF were prepared using a gel ink containing propranolol hydrochloride as the active pharmaceutical ingredient, while 3DPDT were fabricated using a paste ink incorporating powdered commercial tablets. We investigated the rheological properties of the gel and paste ink, and assessed the mechanical properties, assay, and dissolution profile of tablets. The results indicate that the appearance, mechanical properties, drug content, content uniformity and drug dissolution rate of 3DPF and 3DPDT meet the United States Pharmacopoeia-National Formulary 2024 (USP-NF 2024) requirements. These strategies demonstrate highly reproducible and high-quality tablet preparation capabilities, which are applicable in drug development and pharmacy services. Furthermore, these approaches effectively resolve the issue of fixed dosages in commercially available drugs failing to meet the personalized medication needs of special populations. They provide a novel and promotable individual dosing solution tailored to the medication requirements of various patient groups.