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FDA Approves First 3D-Printed Drug Tablet

Posted by Soulskill on from the will-take-seven-hours-per-pill dept.

An anonymous reader writes: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has for the first time approved a 3D-printed pill for human consumption. The printing technique allows higher and more precise dosages to be layered into a smaller tablet size. This is an early step toward a new method of drug distribution. Right now, pills are made in a factory and shipped to hospitals. With 3D printers, hospitals could simply store a bulk supply of the drug in a pure form, and then print out tablets — containing whatever dosage they desire — as they need them. If patients needs to increase or decrease their dosage, the hospital can do so without changing the appearance of the pills, which could help those with memory impairments.

3 of 64 comments (clear)

  1. Not going to move the needle. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The technology to create bespoke pills exists already, major barriers to hospitals incorporating compounding pharmacies today include cost, regulations, and liability, none of which are addressed by this technology.

    1. Re:Not going to move the needle. by Penguinisto · · Score: 4, Informative

      Actually, those aren't impossible hurdles.

      cost would likely be way less than some of what a hospital buys (e.g. a CT machine), and it could pay for itself over time like any other machine - amortization is your friend in that department. Liability is handled as well, since hospitals (and even their in-house pharmacies in particular) often have to insure against potential drug-related liabilities anyway (misdiagnosis, mislabeling, adverse drug interactions, improper storage procedures, etc).

      Now *regulations* are gonna be the big hurdle... no idea what the FDA (or non-US equivalents) are going to demand, but if you think about it, there isn't much difference between this technology and what a pharmacy does right now with compounding, save for the 'on a computer' aspect (well, machinery too, but you get the idea).

      --
      Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
  2. The real purpose? by mark_reh · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Vicodin used to be hydrocodone/APAP 5/325 until the FDA said that the APAP portion should be lowered to 300 mg. So Vicodin gets reformulated to 5/300 and the price goes up. If I follow FDA guidelines and write a prescription for hydrocodone/APAP 5/300 my patient has a substantial out of pocket cost because the pharmacy has to give them name brand Vicodin. If I write the prescription for 5/325, they can use generic which insurance covers fully, or if they are uninsured costs $5-10.

    I suspect that the repackaging has more to do with maintaining the high price than the performance of the medication when packaged by a 3D printer.