3D printing in pediatrics: feed back from Nîmes University Hospital

3D printing is a drug manufacturing technology whose research work has only grown since 2015. The Drug Compounding Unit (DCU) at Nimes University Hospital Pharmacy, in conjunction with the Charles Gerhardt Institute in Montpellier (UMR5253), have been working on this topic since 2017, with the aim of eventually enabling this technology to be implemented in hospital pharmacies. 3D printing could provide a response to different personalized medicine needs, but the team from the Nîmes University Hospital has focused more specifically on the requirements of pediatric drug management. In May 2022, the DCU acquired a 3D printer that meets pharmaceutical requirements and is located on its production premises. The DCU chose to acquire the MED-U Modular from MB therapeutics. This platform can accommodate various additive manufacturing technologies (gel or molten filament extrusion) in line with our pharmaceutical requirements. Since June 2022, the DCU’s work has focused on semi-solid extrusion (SSE) technology, including the study of critical printing parameters, the establishment of an operational qualification for the SSE head and the development of a nadolol gel for the production of pediatric pharmaceutical compounding. Clinical use of this nadolol gel is scheduled for the end of the first quarter of 2024.