Semi-solid extrusion 3D printing of milk formula-based paediatric chewable dosage forms

Age-appropriate oral medicines remain limited for patients with swallowing difficulties, especially children. We present a chewable, drug delivery platform that uses milk formula as the primary excipient for semi-solid extrusion (SSE) 3D printing. Optimized inks exhibited pseudoplastic flow with elastic dominance, enabling cold extrusion of high-fidelity, paediatric-friendly shapes. The platform was loaded either with pure drugs namely, paracetamol (PCT), sodium valproate (SDVT), ibuprofen (IBU) and carbamazepine (CBZ), or with powders compounded from commercial tablets. Dose accuracy scaled linearly with print weight (R²≈1.0), supporting dose personalization. In two-stage biorelevant dissolution, the milk matrix markedly enhanced CBZ release versus crystalline CBZ, modestly improved IBU, and maintained the rapid, near-complete release of highly soluble PCT and SDVT. Texture profile analysis of prints confirmed soft, cohesive constructs suitable for chewing. DSC and XRD indicated API dispersion within the matrix with partial amorphization. Together, these data demonstrate that milk-based SSE 3D printing enables on-demand, dose-flexible chewable dosage forms and can be compatible with pharmacy compounding workflows at the point of care.