3D pill printing for personalized doses

University of Singapore scientists have developed a way to 3D print custom medication, which can combine multiple drugs into a single tablet.

Healthcare is by nature personal, and technology is making the management of it even more so. Earlier last year the FDA approved the first 3D printed pill. Now, the National University of Singapore has developed a way to 3D print custom pills, so medication that needs to be taken at varying times during the day, at different dosages, can be produce as a single tablet.

Using simple computer software that doesn’t require specialist tech knowledge, doctors input the desired release schedule and dosages of the drugs. The program then produces a custom medication mold which can be printed by a commercially available 3D printer. The molds are created in parts, with each shape corresponding to the types of drugs being prescribed and the timing of doses. As well as printing different dosages for varying schedules, the single pills can also be printed to contain different drugs. Daily pill organizers may soon be obsolete as prescription medication becomes no more complicated than taking a single pill each day.

How else could 3D printing be used to simplify life?

Contact: chesec@nus.edu.sg