Fused deposition modelling three-dimensional printing of solid dosage forms

Abstract

Three-dimensional printing (3DP) is a widely used technique for the design and manufacture of complex solid dosage forms with the objective of formulating personalized medicines and on-demand manufacturing. Among commercially available models, fused deposition modelling 3D-printing (FDM-3DP) has shown the potential to fabricate objects with various internal structures and the ability to introduce multiple specific functionalities. This thesis’s main aim was to understand printability in FDM-3DP and the factors influencing it, as well as to manufacture novel gastro-retentive floating drug delivery systems through FDM-3DP using pharmaceutical excipients. Hot-melt extrusion (HME) was implemented to fabricate filaments with adequate properties for FDM-3DP. Rheological, mechanical and physical characterisation of filaments were evaluated to provide information on the impact of these properties on the FDM 3DP process. Theophylline-loaded filaments, suitable for FDM-3DP, were successfully formulated using three polymeric carriers (Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Hydroxypropyl Cellulose (HPC), and Soluplus®). FDM-3DP enabled the manufacture of monolithic and non-monolithic floating drug delivery systems using a sandwich design. The tablet design showed the ability to achieve prolonged gastric floating (12 hours) with no floating lag time. Formulations containing Soluplus® or HPC with Eudragit RLPO provided zero-order sustained release of theophylline (THP). Fixed-dose bilayer floating tablets were also manufactured. This thesis displayed the ability of FDM-3DP to manufacture bespoke floating tablets using pharmaceutical excipients with tailored drug release profiles.

Thesis embargoed until 31 December 2026.

Date of Award	Dec 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Queen's University Belfast
Supervisor	Gavin Andrews (Supervisor), Min Zhao (Supervisor) & Shu Li (Supervisor)