Development of Nanosuspension Formulations Compatible with Inkjet Printing for the Convenient and Precise Dispensing of Poorly Soluble Drugs.

Dennis H Leung

doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics14020449

Abstract

The pharmaceutical industry has been challenged by the increasing number of poorly soluble drug candidates, resulting in significant issues with obtaining sufficient absorption and bioavailability, risk of exposure variability, and difficulties in achieving a safe therapeutic index. Additionally, the rapid and precise dispensing of specific drug dosages is an important aspect that can enable personalized medicines for the patient. Herein, we report on the development of inkjet printing as a method for delivering precise quantities of poorly soluble drug molecules using commercially available equipment. Despite challenges due to low solubility making it difficult to prepare liquid solutions, stable suspensions of drug nanoparticles with the appropriate viscosity were successfully printed and dispensed onto a thin film suitable for delivery. The drug nanoparticles remained intact and could be reconstituted after printing, demonstrating that they remained stable and retained their advantageous particle size. This demonstrates that inkjet printing can be a practical and convenient approach for dispensing poorly soluble drug molecules when formulated as nanosuspensions.

Highlights

IntroductionApproach with respect to dosage and image, most commonly exemplified by standard tablet sizes
The development of drug products has often taken a “one-size-fits-all”approach with respect to dosage and image, most commonly exemplified by standard tablet sizes
Inkjet printing has become common technology and a large number of consumer-grade inkjet printers are commercially available. This technology relies on the precise control and deposition of fine ink droplets onto a thin-film substrate, such as paper or plastic polymeric sheets. These ink droplets are controlled via a fixed printhead, which typically consists of thousands of tiny nozzles for the rapid printing of various color inks using piezoelectric or thermal technologies

Summary

Introduction

Approach with respect to dosage and image, most commonly exemplified by standard tablet sizes. This requires the development of a suitable bulk manufacturing approach and supply chain with the appropriate quality control in order to subsequently deliver the drug product at those specific doses to the target patient population. Current manufacturing approaches for solid dosage forms, such as tablets, face significant challenges with consistency and content uniformity for low dosages, which are important for highly potent drugs as well as for pediatric indications. The ability to manufacture precise dosage forms on-demand which can be tailored for an individual patient while handling low quantities of drugs has significant value. In addition to providing a personalized and more efficacious therapy for the patient, this could potentially minimize the logistics involved in current drug product manufacture

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