Personalized orodispersible films by hot melt ram extrusion 3D printing
13. September 2018
This work demonstrates the feasibility of the extemporaneous preparation of maltodextrins orodispersible films (ODF) by hot-melt ram-extrusion 3D printing. This method consists of three simple technological operations which can be also implemented in a pharmacy setting. First, maltodextrins, drug, and other excipients are mixed in a mortar and wetted with the plasticizer (i.e. glycerine). Then, the mixture is fed in the chamber of the ram-extruder and heated. ODF are individually printed on the packaging material foil and sealed without further manipulations.
![Overview graphic Hot melt ram extrusion 3D printing](https://www.pharmaexcipients.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Hot-melt-ram-extrusion-3D-printing-300x118.png)
The critical formulation attributes and process variables were investigated to define the processability space. In particular, the optimal conditions to print a mixture of maltodextrins/glycerine in a 80/20 w/w ratio resulted: heating temperature: 85 °C; needle gauge: 18 G; needle-packaging material foil distance: 0.6 mm; maximum print rate: 50 mm/s; filling angle: 120°. The maximum drug loading was about 40%, when paracetamol was used as model drug. The compounded ODF complied with USP and Ph. Eur. specifications for disintegration time (<1 min). The dissolution pattern of paracetamol overlapped with that obtained from ODF with a similar composition prepared by the consolidated solvent casting technique, demonstrating the suitability of the proposed technology.