Polyvinyl alcohol as a raw material in fused-deposition modelling 3D printing of solid oral dosage forms

Abstract

A poster presentation regarding polyvinyl alcohol as a raw material in fused-deposition modelling 3D printing of solid oral dosage forms. Introduction: Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) is an additive manufacture technique used in 3D printing by depositing successive layers of material to create the final product. FDM 3D printing uses a filament of polymeric material such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as the raw material. PVA is a water-soluble and biodegradable synthetic polymer which is widely used in 3D printing to generate support structures for overhangs, which are unsupported parts or structures of the printed product. PVA is used as a material to make support structures that are easily removed by dissolution after immersing the finished print in water. The property of PVA to dissolve in aqueous solutions allows for the possibility of using it as the raw material in the printing of oral dosage forms (ODFs). DeMerlis and Schoneker noted that PVA is used for the coating of pharmaceutical tablets and dietary supplements and that when administered orally, PVA was found to be harmless and poorly absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract, reducing the incidence of adverse effects or accumulation. Aims: ◦ To produce tablets through fused-deposition modelling 3D printing using polyvinyl alcohol as a bulking agent ◦ To assess impact of amount of PVA infill on dissolution profile.