21st Century Tablets

In the 1840’s Brockedon patented the metal die and punch system for the manufacture of medicated tablets or oral solid dosage (OSD) forms.  Since that time the process of compressing a granulated powder mix in a die between two punches has become the mainstay of pharmaceutical tablet manufacture.  The process remains unchanged to this date requiring a complex formulation with multiple excipients (e.g. binder, disintegrant, lubricant), several stages (powder mixing, granulation, drying and finally compression) and can take weeks to complete.

This is not appropriate for situations that require speed, agility and flexibility to rapidly manufacture an OSD for a specific requirement.  Early phase clinical trials represent such a situation where intra-trial dose changes can lead to delays due to the requirement to reformulate and remanufacture.  This directly impacts trial timelines, patient supplies and speed to market.

AdaptiM3D pharmaceutical scientists have direct experience of this issue and to eliminate have patented a novel direct 3D printing process for OSD products.  The AdaptiM3D process requires only a single polymer excipient simplifying formulations yet capable of adaptation to tailor drug release.  It requires a single piece of equipment and can be performed in hours providing, flexibility, agility and speed of manufacture.  This introduces the biggest advance on OSD manufacture for over 200 years.