Epilepsy therapy becomes first approved 3D-printed drug in US

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a groundbreaking new 3D-printed drug product that is the first of its kind.

Developed by Aprecia Pharmaceuticals, Spritam is a treatment for partial onset seizures, myoclonic seizures and primary generalised tonic-clonic seizures in adults and children with epilepsy created using the company's proprietary ZipDose Technology platform.

This method uses 3D printing to produce a porous formulation that rapidly disintegrates with a sip of liquid, allowing a high drug load to be delivered in an easy and stress-free manner. Each dose is individually packaged, meaning no measuring is required.

As such, this technique can be valuable in combating non-adherence to prescribed medication regimens, which can be a key problem among people being treated for epilepsy in particular.

Don Wetherhold, chief executive officer of Aprecia, said: "By combining 3D printing technology with a highly-prescribed epilepsy treatment, Spritam is designed to fill a need for patients who struggle with their current medication experience."

3D printing is recognised as a useful technique in the manufacture of medical devices, but this approval marks the first time a drug product created with the technology has been made available in the US.