There’s something fascinating about the 3D industry. Whenever a movie opens in 3D at the theatres most people have the option of watching it regular or watching it in 3D. The vast majority will not pass up the opportunity of watching it in 3D, it’s just exciting to see the screen pop out in front of your eyes. The same excitement is taking place in the medical industry because now there’s a 3D printed drug that was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat patients with epilepsy that get seizures.
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The drug is called Spritam levetiracetam and it was developed by the Ohio-based pharmaceutical company, Aprecia. The pill uses the ZipDose Technology, which is what Aprecia is known for: a spill proof pill that is designed to disentigrate in the mouth with just a small drink of water. ZipDose technology uses the 3D printing platform where it pieces multiple layers of powedered medication using an aqueous fluid to produce a pill that quickly dissolves in less than 10 seconds. 
This is only one of the fascinating components, in addition the 3D printed pill can be customed-ordered to the patient’s needs, so it erases the pharmaceutical trend of having one pill that fits everyone’s needs. By making small adjustments to the software prior to printing, hospitals can adjust doses for each patient. Just imagine, this technology can package up to 1,000 milligrams into individualized tablets, which eliminates multiple dosages as well.
This is a huge step in the medical industry and in 3D printing because it’s the first time this type of technology has been approved by the FDA, which everyone knows it’s not an easy task. In addition it shows the importance of having a pill that is easy to swallow, which has always been a problem with many patients. There are so many patients that suffer from being unable to swallow their medications and instead they opt to not follow their doctor’s orders. It’s a huge step towards 3D printed medications and many other companies will be sure to follow in their footsteps very soon, which is great news. The drug is set to be launched in the first quarter of 2016.