US Authorities Give Go-ahead on 3D Printed Pill

In a ground-breaking move, US authorities have approved a 3D-printed pill for mass production. The sanction comes from the US Food and Drug Administration and is a world first for both the medical and scientific spheres.

In the past the FDA has approved a number of 3D-printed medical devices, including prosthetic limbs. Now, specialty pharmaceutical company Aprecia Pharmaceuticals will develop a new drug called Spritam using next generation 3D printers. The drug has been hailed for its ability to control epileptic seizures. Instead of printing with polymers like most 3D printers, medicines use pharmaceutical compounds to create objects layer by layer. In the wake of its FDA approval triumph, Aprecia Pharmaceuticals has revealed that it already has plans in the works to develop other 3D-printed medications using its purpose built platform.

The benefits of 3D drugs

So what are the benefits of 3D-printed drugs? According to the experts, the technique allows layers of medication to be tightly packaged into ultra-precise doses. This simply isn’t possible when manufacturing pills using conventional machines.

The pills also feature a brand new technology called ZipDose which supposedly makes high-dose medications much more pleasant to swallow. With just one sip of liquid ZipDose dissolves premeasured, spill proof units in the mouth for a gag free experience. Combining the innovative new technologies will allow Aprecia Pharmaceuticals to cram up to 1,000 milligrams of Spritam into each individual tablets. Plus, they’ll be a pleasure to pop!

Experts assert that developments in 3D-printed medications will allow pharmaceuticals companies to develop bespoke drugs based on the individual needs of patients, rather than settle for the current ‘one size fits all’ approach. With just one small software tweak dosages could be 100% personalised at an extremely affordable cost.

Dr Mohamed Albed Alhnan, a lecturer in pharmaceutics at the University of Central Lancashire explains, “For the last 50 years we have manufactured tablets in factories and shipped them to hospitals and for the first time this process means we can produce tablets much closer to the patient.”

Spritam is set to hit pharmaceutical shelves in the first quarter of 2016.

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