The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just approved the first 3D-printed pill that treats epilepsy, according to an Aug. 3 news release from its makers.
The pill called Spritam (levetiracetam) was created by Ohio-based pharmaceutical firm Aprecia Pharmaceuticals.
Spritam is made with the company's "ZipDose" technology, which is a process that renders the pill porous, making it able to dissolve readily "with a sip of liquid."
According to Aprecia, their 3D-printing technology can pack up high doses of the drug, about 1,000 milligrams, for each tablet.
The pill can be particularly helpful for those who have swallowing difficulty, which is usual in epileptic patients.
In addition, it can also help epileptic kids take the pill more conveniently, as they tend to loath taking larger medications, a report from Quartz stated.
Aprecia also stated in its release that Spritam is also convenient since there is no need to measure the dose for a specific patient. Each dose is packed individually, which makes the drug easy to carry around.
3D-printing technology involves the creation of an item through several layers, BBC reported. For drugs, printers were designed to produce chemical compounds to create the drugs instead of polymers, which are the materials usually employed in the process.
3D-printing already has its place in the medical community and it proves to be well-accepted, especially when it is used to create implants intended for injured patients.
The Associated Press reports that the FDA had already approved other 3D-printed medical devices before.
A spokeswoman for FDA confirmed that Spritam is the first tablet made from 3D-printing approved by the agency.
Based on Aprecia's news release, it said that pharmaceutical formulations made from 3-D are in its plans in the years to come. The drug Spritam is reported to go on sale in the first quarter next year.
