Formulation of oral dosage forms by three dimensional printing

Abstract

Pharmaceutical grade materials were used in the fabrication of fast-release and extended-release oral dosage forms. Tablets were processed by employing a method of solid freeform fabrication known as three dimensional printingTM (3DPTM). A microcrystalline cellulose powder was used in combination with pH-dependent and permeable polymeric binder solutions. Release studies in acidic media were performed using both dye and drug (antihistamine) as actives. Deposition was performed by micro pipette into concept devices. It was concluded that printing parameters could be used to control the microstructure and release behavior. The performance of a drop-on-demand inkjet printing system was evaluated to be highly accurate, and the system was used in the fabrication of model oral dosage forms. Tablets were constructed with a permeable polymer as binder. Mechanical tests showed that the tablets were comparable to industry references for both strength and friability. A USP dissolution method involving an acid and buffer stage was used for extended-release studies. Release by diffusion was found to depend on device porosity level and drug distribution as defined during fabrication.