Engineering news
The team from the University of the Basque Country in Spain used ‘fast, simple methodology’ to create tablets from three different types of starch – normal and waxy maize starch and potato starch – with different geometries and loaded with a non-soluble drug.
Traditional methods of medicine production provide specific parameters, but in many cases do not meet the needs of individual patients. Conventional medicines tend to be based on adult doses, for example, while certain groups of patients also need specific dosage form alternatives to allow oral administration.
Rapidly disintegrating tablets are emerging as a good option as they dissolve the moment they are placed on the tongue, the researchers said.
Another challenge pharmaceutical companies need to address is controlled release of the drug over time, especially when the drug is hydrophobic.
“3D printing technology is an advanced technique for personalised medicine and the development of on-demand drug release tablets”, said researcher Kizkitza González. “The main aim of this work was to produce 3D-printed starch-based tablets for the tailored delivery of hydrophobic drugs.”
A detailed rheological analysis was first carried out to ensure the materials were printable and would keep their shape. In the case of potato starch, the printing process turned out to be more laborious due to its properties.
With normal maize starch, drug release was instantaneous and the drug was fully released within 10 minutes. In the case of waxy maize starch and potato starch, release was more continuous and can take up to six hours for full release. Different geometries also affected drug release.
Tablets combining different types of starch were also printed, which released the drug in two stages. This could be useful for patients with an infection, for example – an initial stage using normal maize starch could release medicine immediately to alleviate pain, while a subsequent stage made of one of the other materials could release an antibiotic continuously.
The work is only the first stage in a long process, but González said that the 3D-printed tablets displayed promising properties for future personalised drug delivery.
The research was published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics.
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