Introduction: The use of 3D printing technology in drug manufacturing has great potential for development because it can precisely control the pore structure of the tablet and customize drugs according to the actual needs of patients. A field of research and experimentation.
△ 3D printed tablets can be dissolved quickly, the picture comes from Aprecia
On February 13, 2022, the Antarctic Bear was informed that researchers from the University of Queensland (UG) have launched a paper on the role of 3D printing in providing personalized medicine for patients in the future, and published a related paper.
According to Liam Krueger, a pharmacist, PhD student at the University of Queensland and lead author of the paper, 3D printing technology is sufficient to enable accurate printing of specialized doses on-site in hospitals and pharmacies in the next few years. Through this research, the researchers hope to accelerate the development of 3D printed medicines in Australia and abroad.
Kruger said: "3D printing technology is often used in other medical settings such as dentistry, orthopaedic implants, however in the pharmaceutical field, the utilization of 3D printing technology is lagging behind. Through this research, we hope to promote 3D printing The development of pharmaceutical technology, this is an opportunity for the future of the Australian pharmaceutical industry."
△Spritam is the world's first FDA-approved 3D-printed drug, marketed by Aprecia Pharmaceuticals. Used to treat seizures, 3D-printed pills have higher porosity than traditionally manufactured pills, which means they dissolve and act faster in the body. Image via Aprecia
Advances in 3D Printing in Pharmaceuticals
Additive manufacturing is widely believed to offer many advantages for clinical pharmaceutical development, such as personalizing treatments based on patient needs, speeding up drug delivery times, and enabling on-demand treatment, but the transition of 3D-printed drug technology from the laboratory to the clinic is still in its infancy. start-up stage.
△The application of 3D printing in the pharmaceutical industry, the picture comes from FabRx
There have been some notable developments in this area, though, notably Aprecia, which won the first FDA approval for a 3D-printed drug back in 2015. Aprecia's drug Spritam has been approved to treat epilepsy, and they have since continued to scale up production through a partnership with RD company Battelle.
Aprecia has developed personalized medicines to treat rare metabolic diseases in children through a flexible drug manufacturing platform, and has created 3D printed pills with Braille and moon patterns to help patients with visual impairments take their medicines.
In addition, global pharmaceutical company Merck has launched a joint project with AMCM, an EOS company, to develop and produce 3D printed pharmaceutical tablets in 2020, first for clinical trials and later for commercial production.
In China, there are also very few companies engaged in 3D printing drug research. The most representative one is Nanjing Triassic, which was established in 2015. They are committed to building a new 3D printing drug technology platform. Digital development, to the proprietary technology of the entire chain of intelligent production. At present, as the first Chinese pharmaceutical company selected for the emerging technology project of the US FDA, Triassic is participating in the formulation of the US Pharmacopoeia 3D printing pharmaceutical industry standard.
The data shows that Triassic occupies more than 1/5 of the number of patent applications in the global 3D printing drug field, and is about to build a continuous and intelligent 3D printing drug production line with an annual production capacity of 50 million pieces.
Are 3D printed pills the future of medicine?
The University of Queensland has conducted the latest research in the field of 3D printed medicines, which shows that the technology is now sophisticated enough to be deployed in hospitals and pharmacies in the future.
"3D printing technology can tailor a drug to a patient to ensure it has the exact dose or combination for a specific need," Krueger said. "Through 3D printing, we can combine five pills into one and even change the size of the pills. , shape, color, taste or texture."
Despite the clear advantages of 3D printed medicines, there are still some challenges that need to be addressed for widespread adoption in medical settings.
One of the challenges is printing time. Conventionally, it takes about 3 minutes to print a standard size 10x3mm tablet, and about 45 minutes for a batch of 28 tablets. This is too long for a drug that wants to be deployed on-demand in a clinic, and needs to be shortened to be practical in the real world.
However, co-author of the paper, Associate Professor Amirali Popat at the University of Queensland believes 3D printing could reduce the number of medications a patient has to take.
"Polypharmacy is the use of five or more drugs at the same time, and about two-thirds of 75-year-old Australians are in such treatment," he said. "The real benefit of 3D-printed pills lies with the consumer or the patient, although There's still some way to go before it happens, but it's a very exciting development."
The research is the beginning of the University of Queensland's research on the feasibility of using 3D printing technology for personalised medicine in the real world, and the data collected so far is promising, the researchers said.
Co-author Chris Freeman (National President of the Pharmaceutical Association of Australia) said: "In the future, 3D printing could help people who need to take multiple medicines to take the right medicine at the right time and in the right dose."
More information about this study can be found in the paper titled "3D printing: Potential clinical applications for personalised solid dosemedications", published in the Medical Journal of Australia. Co-authors of the study are L. Krueger, J. Miles, K. Steadman, T. Kumeria, C. Freeman and A. Popat.
