Selective laser sintering for printing bilayer tablets.

In this study Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) was used to produce bilayer tablets containing rosuvastatin and acetylsalicylic acid. Initially, monolithic tablets of each drug were manufactured using different laser intensities in order to identify their impact on the tablet's dissolution, friability and hardness. After the optimization, the final bilayer tablet was fabricated using a new method, that allowed the printing using different powder blends.

A quality by design strategy for cocrystal design based on novel computational and experimental screening strategies: part A.

While pharmaceutical Cocrystals have long been acknowledged as a promising method of enhancing a drugs bioavailability, they have not yet experienced widespread industrial adoption on the same scale as other multi-component drugs, such as salts and amorphous solid dispersions. This is partly due to the lack of a being no definitive screening strategy to identify suitable coformers, with the most cocrystal screening strategies heavily relying on trial and error approaches, or through utilizing a multiple and often conflicting, computational screening techniques combined with high material consumption experimental techniques. From the perspective of industry, this can often lead to high material waste and increased costs, encouraging the prioritization of more traditional bioenhancement techniques.

Islet cell spheroids produced by a thermally sensitive scaffold: a new diabetes treatment.

The primary issues in treating type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) through the transplantation of healthy islets or islet β-cells are graft rejection and a lack of available donors. Currently, the majority of approaches use cell encapsulation technology and transplant replacement cells that can release insulin to address transplant rejection and donor shortages. However, existing encapsulation materials merely serve as carriers for islet cell growth.

3D-Printed Melatonin Tablets with Braille Motifs for the Visually Impaired.

An innovative approach for creating customized dosage forms and supporting patient populations with specific requirements who need additional support to improve drug adherence is 3D printing. This work introduces liquid crystal display (LCD) 3D printing as a means of developing melatonin (MLT) tablets. For patients who are blind or visually challenged, Braille patterns were displayed on the tablet surface in addition to the optimization of printing hydrogel inks.

Sustained release of 3D printed bupropion hydrochloride tablets bearing Braille imprints for the visually impaired.

3D printing has been introduced as a novel approach for the design of personalized dosage forms and support patient groups with special needs that require additional assistance for enhanced medication adherence. In this study liquid crystal display (LCD) is introduced for the development of sustained release bupropionHCl printed tablets. The optimization of printing hydrogel inks was combined with the display of Braille patterns on the tablet surface for blind or visually impaired patients.

Monoclonal Antibody Delivery Using 3D Printed Biobased Hollow μNe3dle Arrays for the Treatment of Osteoporosis.

Transdermal microneedles have demonstrated promising potential as an alternative to typical drug administration routes for the treatment of various diseases. As microneedles offer lower administration burden with enhanced patient adherence and reduced ecological footprint, there is a need for further exploitation of microneedle devices. One of the main objectives of this work was to initially develop an innovative biobased photocurable resin with high biobased carbon content comprising isobornyl acrylate (IBA) and pentaerythritol tetraacrylate blends (50:50 wt/wt).

An Advanced Twin-Screw Granulation Technology: The use of Non-Volatile Solvents with High Solubilizing Capacity.

Purpose: Twin-screw wet granulation (TSWG) is a manufacturing process that offers several advantages for the processing of water-insoluble active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and has been used for increasing the solubility and dissolution rates. Here we introduce a novel TSWG approach with reduced downstream processing steps by using non-volatile solvents as granulating binders.

Methods: Herein, TSWG was carried out using Transcutol a non-volatile protic solvent as a granulating binder and dissolution enhancer of ibuprofen (IBU) blends with cellulose polymer grades (Pharmacoat 603, Affinisol™, and AQOAT).

Screening, Synthesis, and Characterization of a More Rapidly Dissolving Celecoxib Crystal Form.

The prevalence of poor solubility in active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) such as celecoxib (CEL) is a major bottleneck in the pharmaceutical industry, leading to a low concentration gradient, poor passive diffusion, and in vivo failure. This study presents the synthesis and characterization of a new cocrystal of the API CEL. CEL is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used for the treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

In Vitro Profile of Hydrocortisone Release from Three-Dimensionally Printed Paediatric Mini-Tablets.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is quickly being adopted in pharmaceutics due to the many advantages it offers, including treatment, adaptability, the reduction in waste and the accelerated development of new formulations. In this study, micro-extrusion printing was implemented for the production of modified-release hydrocortisone (HCT) mini-tablets for paediatric patients. For the developed formulations, Gelucire 44/14 and Precirol ATO 5 were used as the main inks at three different ratios: 70%/30%, 60%/40% and 50%/50%, respectively.

Personalised oral dosage forms using an ultra-compact tablet press at the point of care.

Over the last 10 years there is an increasing need for the design of personalised medicines at the point of care (PoC) that meet the specific needs of individual patients. A plethora of technologies has been introduced for making affordable personalised pharmaceutical products, which however, do not address manufacturing and regulatory challenges. Here we introduce a novel ultra-compact tablet press which was used for the design and compression of rosuvastatin-aspirin and amiloride-lysonipril bilayer tablets respectively.

Exosome-like genistein-loaded nanoparticles developed by thin-film hydration and 3D-printed Tesla microfluidic chip: A comparative study.

Exosomes are naturally derived information carriers that present interest as drug delivery systems. However, their vague cargo and isolation difficulties hinder their use in clinical practice. To overcome these limitations, we developed exosome-like nanoparticles, consisted of the main lipids of exosomes, using two distinct methods: thin-film hydration and 3D-printed microfluidics.

Three-Dimensionally Printed Vaginal Rings: Perceptions of Women and Gynecologists in a Cross-Sectional Survey.

Three-dimensional printing technologies can be implemented for the fabrication of personalized vaginal rings (VRs) as an alternative approach to traditional manufacturing. Although several studies have demonstrated the potential of additive manufacturing, there is a lack of knowledge concerning the opinions of patients and clinicians. This study aimed to investigate the perception of women and gynecologists regarding VRs with personalized shapes.

3D Printing of Personalised Carvedilol Tablets Using Selective Laser Sintering.

Selective laser sintering (SLS) has drawn attention for the fabrication of three-dimensional oral dosage forms due to the plurality of drug formulations that can be processed. The aim of this work was to employ SLS with a CO laser for the manufacturing of carvedilol personalised dosage forms of various strengths. Carvedilol (CVD) and vinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer (Kollidon VA64) blends of various ratios were sintered to produce CVD tablets of 3.

3D Printed Flavor-Rich Chewable Pediatric Tablets Fabricated Using Microextrusion for Point of Care Applications.

Over the past few years, 3D printing technologies have gained interest in the development of medicinal products for personalized use at the point of care. The printing of drug products offers personalization and flexibility in dose, shape/design, and flavor, potentially enhancing acceptability in pediatric populations. In this study, we present the design and development of ibuprofen (IBU) chewable flavor-rich personalized dosage forms by using microextrusion for the processing of powdered blends.

3D printing of LEGO® like designs with tailored release profiles for treatment of sleep disorder.

3D printed LEGO®-like designs are an attractive approach for the development of compartmental delivery systems due to their potential for dose personalisation through the customisation of drug release profiles. Additive manufacturing technologies such as Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) are ideal for the printing of structures with complex geometries and various sizes. This study is a paradigm for the fabrication of 3D printed LEGO® -like tablets by altering the design of the modular units and the filament composition for the delivery of different drug substances.

Evaluation of 3D Printability and Biocompatibility of Microfluidic Resin for Fabrication of Solid Microneedles.

In this study, we have employed Digital Light Processing (DLP) printing technology for the fabrication of solid microneedle (MN) arrays. Several arrays with various geometries, such as cones, three-sided pyramids and four-sided pyramids, with different height to aspect ratios of 1:1, 2:1 and 3:1, were printed. Post-processing curing optimizations showed that optimal mechanical properties of the photocurable resin were obtained at 40 °C and 60 min.

Personalised paediatric chewable Ibuprofen tablets fabricated using 3D micro-extrusion printing technology.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is becoming an attractive technology for the design and development of personalized paediatric dosage forms with improved palatability. In this work micro-extrusion based printing was implemented for the fabrication of chewable paediatric ibuprofen (IBU) tablets by assessing a range of front runner polymers in taste masking. Due to the drug-polymer miscibility and the IBU plasticization effect, micro-extrusion was proved to be an ideal technology for processing the drug/polymer powder blends for the printing of paediatric dosage forms.

Coupling of Fused Deposition Modeling and Inkjet Printing to Produce Drug Loaded 3D Printed Tablets.

In the current study, we have coupled Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) for the fabrication of plain polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) tablets followed by dispensing of minoxidil ethanolic solutions using inkjet printing. The use of a drop-on-solid printing approach facilitates an accurate and reproducible process while it controls the deposition of the drug amounts. For the purpose of the study, the effect of the solvent was investigated and minoxidil ink solutions of ethanol 70% / (P70) or absolute ethanol (P100) were applied on the plain PVA tablets.

Development of 3D printed drug-eluting contact lenses.

Objectives: The aim of the work was to introduce 3D printing technology for the design and fabrication of drug-eluting contact lenses (DECL) for the treatment of glaucoma. The development of 3D printed lenses can effectively overcome drawbacks of existing approaches by using biocompatible medical grade polymers that provide sustained drug release of timolol maleate for extended periods.

Methods: Hot melt extrusion was coupled with fusion deposition modelling (FDM) to produce printable filaments of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer-polylactic acid blends at various ratios loaded with timolol maleate.

In vivo evaluation of nanostructured lipid carrier systems (NLCs) in mice bearing prostate cancer tumours.

Nanostructure lipid carriers (NLCs) were developed for the delivery of curmumin (CRN), a potent anticancer agent with low bioavailability, for the treatment of prostate cancer. NLCs prepared using high pressure homogenization (HPH) with around 150 nm particle size, - 40 V ζ-potential and excellent long-term stability. Cellular uptake of CRN-SLN showed nanoparticle localization in the cytoplasm around the nucleus.

3D printing advances in the development of stents.

3D printing technologies have found several applications within the biomedical sector including in the fabrication of medical devices, advanced visualization, diagnosis planning and simulation of surgical procedures. One of the areas in which of 3D printing is anticipated to revolutionised is the manufacturing of implantable bioresorbable drug-eluting scaffolds (stents). The ability to customize and create personalised tailor-made bioresorbable scaffolds has the potential to help solve many of the challenges associated with stenting, such as inappropriate stent sizing and design, abolish late stent thrombosis and help artery growth; 3D printing offers a rapid prototyping and effective method of producing stents making customization of designs feasible.

Preparation of Solid Dispersions of Simvastatin and Soluplus Using a Single-Step Organic Solvent-Free Supercritical Fluid Process for the Drug Solubility and Dissolution Rate Enhancement.

The study was designed to investigate the feasibility of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO) processing for the preparation of simvastatin (SIM) solid dispersions (SDs) in Soluplus (SOL) at temperatures below polymer's glass transition. The SIM content in the SDs experimental design was kept at 10, 20 and 30% to study the effect of the drug-polymer ratio on the successful preparation of SDs. The SIM-SOL formulations, physical mixtures (PMs) and SDs were evaluated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and dissolution studies.

Personalised Tasted Masked Chewable 3D Printed Fruit-Chews for Paediatric Patients.

The development of personalised paediatric dosage forms using 3D printing technologies has gained significant interest over the last few years. In the current study extruded filaments of the highly bitter Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride (DPH) were fabricated by using suitable hydrophilic carries such as hydroxypropyl cellulose (Klucel ELF) and a non-ionic surfactant (Gelucire 48/16) combined with sweetener (Sucralose) and strawberry flavour grades. The thermoplastic filaments were used to print 3D fruit-chew designs by Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) technology.