Dr. Howard Smith Reports

3D Printed Medications Customize Dosing


Listen Later


Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CxL0Fo4xy_m/


Texas A&M pharmacologists have perfected a method for 3D printing medications with precise dosages in child-friendly shapes and flavors.  This technology permits the fabrication of pills that deliver just the proper amount of a drug that works most effectively and safely within a narrow dosing range.  Currently, to deliver such doses, adult-sized pills must be crushed and dissolved in liquids in a process called compounding that may cause a deterioration in drug potency.  Though 3D pill printing isn’t new, the Texas team has developed a process that eliminates the use of solvents that often shorten shelf life.  First creating a drug powder, they mix in a biocompatible polymer, a coloring, and a flavoring before the mix is introduced into the heated print chamber.  The tablets are finished with a laser, and studies are now underway to modify this final finishing to create timed release of the contained medication.


https://engineering.tamu.edu/news/2023/08/forging-a-path-in-tailored-medications-through-3d-printing.html


#3dprinting #pediatrics #bioengineering #dosing #texasam



...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Dr. Howard Smith ReportsBy Howard G. Smith MD, AM