3D printing has always been fascinating and is sure to change the world pretty soon. There has been a lot achieved by 3D printing since its inception, starting from bridges and going on to electronics and even medicines. The remarkable technology has made huge progress in terms of production by making things that were once expensive, available to a lot more people than they were before.
We will not go into the details of how the device works, but a new use of this technology has been unveiled by a company named Aprecia Pharmaceuticals. As the name suggests the company, Aprecia, make drugs for people to use but the amazing fact is that they have now officially become the first brand to use 3D printed drugs according to Science News Journal. The drug is called Sptiram and will be used to treat epilepsy in humans.
You must be thinking a drug like this would hardly get approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), well it did! The company managed to successfully print the drug and also get all the necessary FDA approvals needed to make the drug commercial. The drug is now available for sale and use in the United States.
A big advantage of 3D printed over normal drugs is the fact that they dissolve instantaneously. Using 3D printing the drugs are produced using power bed inkjet printing in which the drug’s elements are put layer upon layer. In the case of Spritam it is a big advantage because it makes swallowing the pill easier for patients who suffer from dysphagia-the condition in which swallowing pills become difficult and which is common in epilepsy patients. The drug just melts in your mouth if you let it sit, you just have to deal with the awful taste.
3D printing is great because if this drug makes it big in the market then it could pave way for more research in the field and will possibly lead to other 3D printed drugs in the future. What’s fascinating about 3D printing is that even though it’s generally associated with electronics, its way more than that! It’s about medicines and the human health, prosthetics and drugs included. Let’s hope the future is bright for this drug, till then let us know your feelings about this 3D printed drug in the comments below.
