The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States has approved an anti-convulsion medication composed from the drug levetiracetam for sale. What’s so special about the drug? It’s made with 3D printers.
The three-dimensional printing method, called ZipDose, was developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The result of this new form of production is a small porous pill that contains a milligram of the anti-epilepsy drug. It is made in layers and only has a small amount of excess powder.
In the United States, for example, more than fifteen per cent of people who suffer from epilepsy are children and large, slow acting pills are a problem for treatment. However, this medication – which is administered along with other anti-convulsives – has been designed to diminish the average size of pills.
Although it is estimated that the anti-epilepsy pill made by a 3D printer will be on the market in the first trimester of 2016, the FDA approval has already sparked speculation that about the possibility of ordering personalized drugs tailored to each patient’s needs. Experts say that simple adjustments to a 3D printer’s software could modify the resulting pill and eliminate the concept of ‘the same medicine for everyone.’
