Bucks County Drugmaker's 3D-Printed Epilepsy Medication Hits Shelves
By Ian Bush
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A new medication made by a Bucks County company is now available for epilepsy patients. It's different from every other pill behind the pharmacy counter.
Spritam is 3D printed: it's the first drug so manufactured to get the go-ahead from the FDA and hit shelves:
"It's designed to break apart in your mouth so you don't have to swallow it intact. It feels much more like liquid, essentially, going down," sas Tom West with Aprecia Pharmaceuticals, based in Langhorne.
One benefit, he says, is relief for those who struggle to gulp down pills.
The company calls their technology ZipDose: the 3D printer creates a tablet out of thin layers of powdered medication and a binding solution.
Spritam quickly disintegrates with just a little water in the mouth, unlike those unpleasant high-dose 'horse pills':
"We're focused on using new technology to make medicine easier to take," said West.
Details at spritam.com.