Designing Printable Medicinal Products: Solvent System and Carrier‐Substrate Screening

Abstract

More flexible yet robust manufacturing solutions are needed in the pharmaceutical industry. Tablet compaction is no longer the obvious choice for commercialscale processing of innovative drug delivery systems. Engineering solutions have gained wide attention in the pharmaceutical industry. Technical innovations within printing are considerable solutions for future product design. Printable medicinal products of a model compound are designed and an analytical approach for imaging the model compound in the printed medicinal products is investigated. The potential implications of using a unique combination of ink solution and carrier-substrate for designing a specific crystallization process and future directions towards continuous manufacturing of personalized medicinal products are discussed.

Personalised dosing: Printing a dose of one’s own medicine

“…Genina et al (2012) found that riboflavin, which is highly soluble in water, precipitated in the presence of polyethylene glycol; glycerol was thus used instead. An additional benefit of using glycols is their role in reducing the evaporation of the solvent, as they act as humectants (Raijada et al, 2014). Rapid evaporation of the solvent can lead to the clogging of the nozzle due to the precipitation of the components of the formulation at the nozzle's tip.…”

An Investigation into Mechanical Properties and Printability of Potential Substrates for Inkjet Printing of Orodispersible Films

“…Apart from the casted substrates such as orodispersible thin films or SOFTs, commercially available edible papers, which are often used in the food industry to decorate baked goods and other food products, might be, also, used as printing substrates. Wafer edible sheets and rice papers have been previously used as printing substrates for API-containing inks due to their porous structure and the ability to absorb relatively high amounts of liquid [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”

Development of Oromucosal Dosage Forms by Combining Electrospinning and Inkjet Printing

“…However, it has been shown that the incorporation of an API within the polymer film affects the mechanical properties of the dosage form. , Therefore, other alternative techniques to produce orally administrable carrier systems have been of interest. In addition, the physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of these matrices need to be optimized for the fabrication of inkjet-printed dosage forms. ,, …”

“…Electrospun scaffolds containing APIs in noncrystalline form have been successfully used in intraoral dosage forms. , Furthermore, due to their high surface area and high porosity, electrospun substrate scaffolds are well-suited for printing purposes. , The use of porous substrates can improve the stability of metastable forms of APIs by physical stabilization within the substrate structure . The use of porous substrates helps to avoid problems with increased surface roughness, increases the ease of handling, and improves patient compliance.…”

“…In addition, the physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of these matrices need to be optimized for the fabrication of inkjetprinted dosage forms. 3,8,17 Electrospinning is a method for the preparation of fine fibers as well as fibrous mats from polymer solutions or melts using electrical forces. 18−20 The main advantages of electrospun nano-and microscale fibers for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications include the applicability of a wide range of biocompatible and nontoxic materials, large surface area to volume ratio, high drug-loading capacity, ease of functionalization, and potential for the optimization of porosity, fiber size, and shape.…”