A recent Medgadget article discussed a new method for creating time-release pharmaceutical tablets with 3D printing. A team of researchers at the University of the Basque Country developed the technique, which uses different types of starch and tablet shapes to either slow or speed up the drug release. Three kinds of starch were used: normal maize starch, waxy maize starch, and potato starch. This allowed for the team to drastically change the release profiles of the drugs within the tablets.
The range of full release can be as little as ten minutes or as long as six hours allowing for personalized treatment. The method can even deliver hydrophobic drugs, which are notoriously difficult to formulate since they aren’t water soluble.
