Pharma in 3D
You may have heard of 3D printed food (you can print spaghetti and meatballs, if you fancy it), but new research is looking into the 3D printing revolution for use in drug manufacturer.
A new study at the University of Central Lancashire may open up new avenues for personalised medicine, with the use of 3D printing.
The technique, which is undergoing a patent application, uses a 3D printer to ‘print’ a tablet of medicine with realistic quantities that can be taken by a patient. The printer can replicate drugs already available in pharmacies and hospitals, and can also tailor medicines directly to an individual patient’s needs.
The researchers behind the study claim that they believe the technology has potential to reduce the cost of manufacturing tablets for individual patients - while also opening the door to new options for doctors and patients that used to be considered impractical or too expensive.
Dr Mohamed Albed Alhnan from the School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences alongside his team developed a drug-polymer filament system that can replace the original filaments in a 3D printer.
The team discovered that the new pharmaceutical “ink” allowed the team to print a challenging tablet design with significant improvement of appearance and high accuracy of tablet weight and dose.
While 3D printers have been used by hobbyists and SMEs for several years, various individuals and organisations have recently been experimenting with medical uses such as prosthetics or dental implants.
The team says it predicts that the technique will be used by pharmaceutical firms and hospitals within five years and by the public within a decade.
Dr Alhnan said: “3D printing has been embraced by lots of different industries but we have shown how this technology can be harnessed to improve medical care, providing low-cost, personally tailored medicines for patients."
“Thanks to this technology, the invented system can provide medical institutions with a new option and maintain dosage form properties while accurately adjusting the dose with simple software order, something that was considered before to be costly and required experienced staff and dedicated facilities. Eventually, we hope to see that units can be kept at home for patients who continuously need to change their daily dose.”