Experimental and <i>in vivo</i> investigations of 3D-printed oral polypills with programmable drug release

Purpose Additive manufacturing has made deep inroads into the field of personalized medication. But, with the increase in customization, the cost of printers have escalated significantly. This study aims to focus on fabrication of polypill having programmable drug dissolution properties using a dual-nozzle 3D printer. Design/methodology/approach Polyvinyl alcohol filament loaded with three anti-diabetic drugs, namely, Metformin Hydrochloride, Methylcobalamin and Myoinositol, were used to fabricate polypill and the drugs were situated in different compartments designed as per the dissolution requirement. Four formulations, two of pulsative drug release and two of varied drug release types, were printed. Drug-polymer solubility for the hot-melt extruded filament were firstly checked and then, the filaments and polypills were subjected to various characterization tests like thermal, imagery, pharmaceutical analysis, in vitro dissolution and in vivo testing, etc. Findings The thermal tests revealed the filaments as suitable for printing. In vitro dissolution test of the polypills showed that the first two formulations displayed pulsative-type drug dissolution behaviour such that one drug released after the completion of previous drug release. The other two formulations displayed sustained release behaviour as per the programmed design. Finally, in vivo tests were carried out on C57BL/6 mice and the test confirmed a 27.13% decrease in glucose level in first 90 min of tablet administration. Originality/value This research work successfully printed the complicated programmable drug release polypill using dual-nozzle, which otherwise required costly and convoluted multi-nozzle setups. Thus, this attempt can be a valuable contribution towards the quest of personalized medication.