3D Printing of Digestible Shells For Medicaments

• US 20160120808A1
• Filed: 11/05/2014
• Published: 05/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Hoover, Linn C., Hannaway, William J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,844,930 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61D 7/00 Devices or methods for introducing solid, liquid, or gaseous remedies or other materials into or onto the bodies of animals for reproduction or fertilisation A61D19/00 ; devices for implanting pellets, radon seeds or the like A61M37/0069
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 3/07 into the form of capsules or similar small containers for oral use
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0056 Mouth soluble or dispersible forms; Suckable, eatable, chewable coherent forms; Forms rapidly disintegrating in the mouth; Lozenges; Lollipops; Bite capsules; Baked products; Baits or other oral forms for animals
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/4825 Proteins, e.g. gelatin gelatin capsule shells with substantial amounts of other macromolecular substances A61K9/4816
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/112 using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/00 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing

Abstract

A method for producing edible medications comprises providing a three-dimensional (3D) model of the edible medication including an internal cavity sized and shaped for receipt of a medicament therein, printing an edible media to form a portion of the 3D shell corresponding to the model for introduction of the medicament, and then printing the edible media to form the remainder of the 3D shell to completely enclose the medicament within the edible media.

Claims

1. A method for producing edible medications comprising:

providing a three-dimensional (3D) model of the edible medication including an internal cavity sized and shaped for receipt of a medicament therein;

providing the 3D model to a 3D printing machine;

feeding an edible media to the 3D printing machine;

printing a first portion of the 3D model with the edible media, the first portion configured to provide access to at least a portion of the cavity;

introducing a medicament into the at least a portion of the cavity; and

printing the remaining portion of the 3D model with the edible media to completely enclose the cavity and the medicament within the cavity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the medicament is a solid medicament.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of providing a 3D model includes using the physical 3D dimensions and configuration of the solid medicament to define the size and shape of the internal cavity.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of providing a 3D model includes defining the size and shape of the internal cavity to substantially correspond to the size and shape of the solid medicament.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the step of printing a first portion of the 3D model includes printing the 3D model so that the portion of the cavity corresponds to a lower half of the solid medicament; and

the step of introducing a medicament includes placing the solid medicament in the portion of the cavity with the upper half of the solid medicament exposed.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the solid medicament is robotically placed in the portion of the cavity.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the solid medicament is manually placed in the portion of the cavity.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the medicament is a liquid medicament.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of providing a 3D model includes defining the volume of the internal cavity to receive the liquid medicament.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of providing a 3D model includes defining the size and shape of the internal cavity to provide a volume that substantially corresponds to the dosage of the liquid medicament to be introduced into the cavity.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of printing a first portion of the 3D model includes printing the 3D model so that the portion of the cavity is substantially the entire cavity with an opening at the top of the cavity;

and

the step of introducing a medicament includes injecting the liquid medicament through the opening into the cavity.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the liquid medicament is injected until it reaches the opening at the top of the cavity.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the liquid medicament is robotically injected into the portion of the cavity.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the liquid medicament is manually injected into the portion of the cavity.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the 3D model includes selecting an external shell configuration and providing a 3D model according to the selected shell configuration.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of feeding an edible media first includes selecting an edible media from a plurality of media and then feeding the selected media.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of providing a 3D model includes using data pertaining to the physical characteristics of the selected edible media to generate the model and the processing steps for 3D printing the media.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of introducing a medicament first includes selecting from a plurality of medicaments and then introducing the selected medicament.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of providing a 3D model includes using data pertaining to the physical characteristics of the selected medicament to generate the model and the processing steps for 3D printing the media.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing a 3D model includes providing a 3D model of a plurality of edible medications within an array configured for subsequent removal of the medications from the array.