Experts from the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona have unveiled Europe’s first 3D-printed medicine for children.
Footage filmed on Wednesday showed the process of creating the candy-like medicines in semi-solid and chewable forms.
The drug, created as part of a clinical trial, will reportedly be tested in paediatrics. The tests will focus on children and adolescents aged 6 to 18. Specialists will conduct studies to check the efficacy and tolerability of the drug in patients.
“It is personalised to each patient at the dosage level, as the form is printed for each patient with the appropriate dosage prescribed by the doctor, and in addition to that, it allows the patient to choose the flavour and essence we add, so that it is the most tolerable for the patient”, explained the pharmacist Laura Gomez, member of the project.
The project is reportedly the first European clinical trial of 3D-printed medicines for children, and it is the result of a collaboration between the Vall d’Hebron Pharmacy Service, the University of Santiago de Compostela and the company FabRx.