3D Printing: an appealing technology for the manufacturing of solid oral dosage forms

Abstract Objectives The traditional manufacturing methods of solid oral dosage forms (SODFs) are reported to be time-consuming, highly expensive and not tailored to the patient’s needs. Three-dimensional printing (3DP) is an innovative emerging technology that can help to overcome these issues. The aim of this review is to describe the most employed 3DP technologies, materials and the state of the art on 3DP SODFs. Characterization techniques of 3DP SODFs, challenges and regulatory issues are also discussed. Key findings The interest in the investigation of the suitability of 3DP as an alternative strategy for the fabrication of SODFs is growing. Different 3DP technologies and starting materials have been investigated for the development of SODFs. Numerous SODFs with complex geometries and composition, and with different release patterns, have been successfully manufactured via 3DP. Despite that, just one 3DP SODF has reached the market. Summary 3DP can be a promising alternative to the classical SODFs manufacturing methods. However, numerous technically and regulatory challenges still need to be addressed in order 3DP to be extensively used in the pharmaceutical sector.

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Current formulation approaches in design and development of solid oral dosage forms through three-dimensional printing

Progress in Additive Manufacturing ◽

10.1007/s40964-020-00127-5 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 111-123

Author(s):

Carlo Curti ◽

Daniel J. Kirby ◽

Craig A. Russell

Keyword(s):

Three Dimensional ◽

Dosage Forms ◽

Oral Dosage ◽

Design And Development ◽

Three Dimensional Printing ◽

Current Formulation ◽

Solid Oral Dosage Forms ◽

Oral Dosage Forms ◽

Dimensional Printing

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Multimechanism oral dosage forms fabricated by three dimensional printing™

Journal of Controlled Release ◽

10.1016/s0168-3659(99)00224-2 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 66 (1) ◽

pp. 11-17 ◽

Cited By ~ 136

Author(s):

C.W Rowe ◽

W.E Katstra ◽

R.D Palazzolo ◽

B Giritlioglu ◽

P Teung ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Three Dimensional ◽

Dosage Forms ◽

Oral Dosage ◽

Three Dimensional Printing ◽

Oral Dosage Forms ◽

Dimensional Printing

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Oral dosage forms fabricated by Three Dimensional Printing™

Journal of Controlled Release ◽

10.1016/s0168-3659(99)00225-4 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 66 (1) ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 173

Author(s):

W.E Katstra ◽

R.D Palazzolo ◽

C.W Rowe ◽

B Giritlioglu ◽

P Teung ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Three Dimensional ◽

Dosage Forms ◽

Oral Dosage ◽

Three Dimensional Printing ◽

Oral Dosage Forms ◽

Dimensional Printing

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Analysis of Coating Structures and Interfaces in Solid Oral Dosage Forms by Three Dimensional Terahertz Pulsed Imaging

Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences ◽

10.1002/jps.20789 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 96 (2) ◽

pp. 330-340 ◽

Cited By ~ 145

Author(s):

J.Axel Zeitler ◽

Yaochun Shen ◽

Colin Baker ◽

Philip F. Taday ◽

Michael Pepper ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Three Dimensional ◽

Dosage Forms ◽

Oral Dosage ◽

Terahertz Pulsed Imaging ◽

Solid Oral Dosage Forms ◽

Oral Dosage Forms

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A review of in vitro and in vivo methods and their correlations to assess mouthfeel of solid oral dosage forms

Drug Discovery Today ◽

10.1016/j.drudis.2020.12.015 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Abdullah Asiri ◽

Justyna Hofmanová ◽

Hannah Batchelor

Keyword(s):

Dosage Forms ◽

Oral Dosage ◽

Solid Oral Dosage Forms ◽

Oral Dosage Forms

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Multi-Analytical Framework to Assess the In Vitro Swallowability of Solid Oral Dosage Forms Targeting Patient Acceptability and Adherence

Pharmaceutics ◽

10.3390/pharmaceutics13030411 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 411

Author(s):

Abdul Latif Ershad ◽

Ali Rajabi-Siahboomi ◽

Shahrzad Missaghi ◽

Daniel Kirby ◽

Afzal Rahman Mohammed

Keyword(s):

Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose ◽

Analytical Framework ◽

Dosage Forms ◽

Oral Dosage ◽

Surface Erosion ◽

World Population ◽

Swallowing Problems ◽

Solid Oral Dosage Forms ◽

Oral Dosage Forms

A lack of effective intervention in addressing patient non-adherence and the acceptability of solid oral dosage forms combined with the clinical consequences of swallowing problems in an ageing world population highlight the need for developing methods to study the swallowability of tablets. Due to the absence of suitable techniques, this study developed various in vitro analytical tools to assess physical properties governing the swallowing process of tablets by mimicking static and dynamic stages of time-independent oral transitioning events. Non-anatomical models with oral mucosa-mimicking surfaces were developed to assess the swallowability of tablets; an SLA 3D printed in vitro oral apparatus derived the coefficient of sliding friction and a friction sledge for a modified tensometer measured the shear adhesion profile. Film coat hydration and in vitro wettability was evaluated using a high-speed recording camera that provided quantitative measurements of micro-thickness changes, simulating static in vivo tablet–mucosa oral processing stages with artificial saliva. In order to ascertain the discriminatory power and validate the multianalytical framework, a range of commonly available tablet coating solutions and new compositions developed in our lab were comparatively evaluated according to a quantitative swallowability index that describes the mathematical relationship between the critical physical forces governing swallowability. This study showed that the absence of a film coat significantly impeded the ease of tablet gliding properties and formed chalky residues caused by immediate tablet surface erosion. Novel gelatin- and λ-carrageenan-based film coats exhibited an enhanced lubricity, lesser resistance to tangential motion, and reduced stickiness than polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)–PEG graft copolymer, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), and PVA-coated tablets; however, Opadry® EZ possessed the lowest friction–adhesion profile at 1.53 a.u., with the lowest work of adhesion profile at 1.28 J/mm2. For the first time, the in vitro analytical framework in this study provides a fast, cost-effective, and repeatable swallowability ranking method to screen the in vitro swallowability of solid oral medicines in an effort to aid formulators and the pharmaceutical industry to develop easy-to-swallow formulations.

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