Integrating FDM and Inkjet Printing for Personalized Drug-Loaded Tablets:
The pharmaceutical field has witnessed a surge of interest in 3D printing (3DP) technologies, celebrated for their ability to create personalized, cost-effective, and complex oral dosage forms. Following the FDA’s approval of Aprecia Pharmaceutical’s Spritam® (levetiracetam) as the first 3D-printed tablet, the industry’s fascination with printable oral dosage forms has grown significantly.
In this context, researchers from the Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora and the University of Greenwich conducted a study to combine Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) and inkjet printing for the development of 3D-printed drug-loaded tablets. This innovative approach aims to elevate precision, reproducibility, and adaptability in personalized medicine. FDM was utilized to fabricate plain polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) tablets, followed by inkjet printing to dispense minoxidil ethanolic solutions with high accuracy. Two solvent systems, 70% ethanol v/v (P70) and absolute ethanol (P100), were explored to understand their impact on solvent miscibility, drug absorption, and crystal formation on the tablet surfaces.
An FDM printer was used for scaffold fabrication, and GeSiM’s NanoPlotter loaded the scaffolds. However, the current GeSiM bioprinting technology can integrate both the FDM printing and a pipette to inkjet print the drug into the scaffold, all in one platform, streamlining the process further and enhancing its reproducibility.
Physicochemical characterization revealed that solvent miscibility played a crucial role in drug absorption and crystal formation on the tablet surface. The produced minoxidil tablets exhibited either sustained release profiles or initial bursts, depending on the solvent grade used. The study demonstrated that the coupling of FDM and inkjet printing technologies could rapidly develop personalized dosage forms.
The research concluded that combining FDM and inkjet printing is a promising method for creating drug-loaded 3D printed tablets with precise and reproducible drug dosages. This approach has significant potential for advancing personalized medicine and improving patient outcomes.
Deposition of minoxidil ethanolic solution by inkjet printing on plain PVA tablets made by FDM. [1]
Scaffold loading technique example using our BS 5.3:
This article is based on the following publication:
[1} Junqueira, L.A.; Tabriz, A.G.; Raposo, F.J.; Carobini, L.R.; Vaz, U.P.; Brandão, M.A.F.; Douroumis, D.; Raposo, N.R.B. Coupling of Fused Deposition Modeling and Inkjet Printing to Produce Drug Loaded 3D Printed Tablets. Pharmaceutics 2022, 14, 159. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14010159