US FDA approves first 3D printed pills

After approving 3D printed medical devices, the US Food and Drug Administration has now given green light to the production of 3D-printed pill.

It is being said that the new drug which is dubbed Spritam was developed by Aprecia Pharmaceuticals to control seizures brought on by epilepsy and they claim that printing the drug means that they could pack up to 1,000 milligrams into an individual tablet, reported the BBC.

Further, the company also claimed that they have developed a separate technology known as ZipDose that makes high-dose medications easier to swallow.

According to experts, being able to 3D print a tablet offers the potential to create bespoke drugs based on the specific needs of patients, rather than having a one product fits all approach.

Talking about the approval, lecturer Mohamed Albed Alhnan said that for the last 50 years, tablets have been manufactured in factories and shipped to hospitals but for the first time this process would help them in producing tablets that are much closer to the patient.

He added that it would mean that medical institutions could adjust the dose for individual patients with just a simple tweak to the software before printing.

According to the organisation, Spritam will be launched in the first quarter of 2016.