Photocurable Bioinks for the 3D Pharming of Combination Therapies

Abstract

Combination therapies mediate drug synergy to improve treatment efficacy and convenience, leading to higher levels of compliance. However, there are challenges with their manufacturing as well as reduced flexibility in dosing options. This study reports on the design and characterization of a polypill fabricated through the combination of material jetting and binder jetting for the treatment of hypertension. The drugs lisinopril and spironolactone were loaded into hydrophilic hyaluronic acid and hydrophobic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) photocurable bioinks, respectively, and dispensed through a piezoelectric nozzle onto a blank preform tablet composed of two attachable compartments fabricated via binder jetting 3D printing. The bioinks were photopolymerized and their mechanical properties were assessed via Instron testing. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed to indicate morphological analysis. The polypill was ensembled and drug release analysis was performed. Droplet formation of bioinks loaded with hydrophilic and hydrophobic active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) was achieved and subsequently polymerized after a controlled dosage was dispensed onto preform tablet compartments. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis showed sustained release profiles for each of the loaded compounds. This study confirms the potential of material jetting in conjunction with binder jetting techniques (powder-bed 3D printing), for the production of combination therapy oral dosage forms involving both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs.

3D Printed Pharmaceutical Systems for Personalized Treatment in Metabolic Syndrome

“…The 3D-printed tablet exhibited a sustained drug release profile. This approach combines binder jetting (powder bed 3D printing) with photocurable biomaterial jetting (inkjet 3D printing) to fabricate a 3D printed tablet with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic API's [123].…”

Polymers for Extrusion-Based 3D Printing of Pharmaceuticals: A Holistic Materials–Process Perspective

“…Recently, there have been several publications that reported multi-drug printing using 3D printing [18,74,76,[177][178][179][180][181]. In 2015, Khaled et al used PAM printing to create a multi-drug pill with Medication adherence, or taking drugs correctly, is usually defined as the extent to which patients take drugs as prescribed by the doctor [171].…”

Recent Advances on Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogels Based on Tissue-Derived ECMs and Their Components: Towards Improving Functionality for Tissue Engineering and Controlled Drug Delivery

“…They demonstrated that the photocrosslinking process prolonged the stability of the hydrogel, and dictated the release of loaded bovine serum albumin (BSA). Wu and colleagues also developed a photocrosslinkable construct to fabricate personalized pharmaceutical tablets with controlled dosages of active pharmaceutical ingredients, both hydrophilic and hydrophobic (e.g., lisinopril and spironolactone) [ 84 ]. The manufactured constructs consisted of two layers.…”

“…The layers were dually photocrosslinked upon visible light exposure due to thiol–ene reactions between thiol groups of PEGDT and norbornene groups of HA, and the covalent bonds formed between destabilized acrylate groups of PEGDA, respectively. They demonstrated that, irrespective of drug loading concentration, but with the appropriate light dosage, these tablets achieved optimal mechanical properties and dual sustained release profiles over time [ 84 ].…”