3D Printing and Personalized Medicine: Ketoprofen Tablets as a Case Study

In a recent study, fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing produced ketoprofen tablets that delivered both immediate‑release and sustained‑release profiles from a single manufacturing platform, supporting on‑demand, point‑of‑care personalization of dose and release.

In a laboratory formulation and manufacturing study, ketoprofen was incorporated into polymer matrices across 15 distinct extruded filaments and multiple printed tablet geometries. Filaments used a PVA‑PEG graft copolymer or HPMC with sorbitol as plasticizer and SLS as surfactant; diameters ranged 1.550–1.819 mm (SD ≤0.021 mm) and measured drug content spanned 77.11 ± 4.01% to 102.11 ± 2.15%.

Mechanical properties (tensile testing, break force, elongation; n = 3) and filament QC (ten 5‑cm segments per batch for diameter and content uniformity) predicted feedability and print fidelity; printed tablets (n = 10 per formulation) underwent USP‑style dissolution testing (two‑phase, 50 rpm, 37 °C).

The central manufacturing step was hot‑melt extrusion, which determined the thermal and mechanical state of the feedstock and therefore controlled both printability and dissolution. Extrusion temperatures were optimized across 120–180 °C with screw speeds of 10–50 rpm (≈30 rpm favored strength and homogeneity), targeting ~1.6 mm filament diameter with tolerance ≤0.021 mm. Sorbitol increased plasticity and tensile strength; SLS improved wetting and dispersion. Polymer choice dictated release: Kollicoat‑based filaments yielded rapid, immediate‑release behavior, while HPMC matrices produced matrix‑type sustained release. DSC and XRD indicated partial to complete amorphization after HME, correlating with faster dissolution for IR filaments and controlled matrix erosion for SR filaments. These optimized HME parameters produced filaments that met USP content‑uniformity and mechanical criteria and supported reliable FDM printing.

Printing variables—infll percent, shell count, print speed, nozzle diameter, and layer height—were systematically varied and yielded predictable effects on release. Higher infill or more shells slowed drug release and increased tablet hardness; low infill accelerated release but reduced mechanical robustness. Faster print speeds increased dimensional variability; smaller nozzles and finer layers improved surface finish and reduced initial porosity, modestly slowing early release. In‑silico simulation, using tablet geometry and measured in‑vitro dissolution inputs, reproduced experimental dissolution trends and projected PK metrics (Cmax, Tmax, AUC).