Award-winning 3D printing tech start-up, Remedy Health, and pharma-tech pioneering experts, FabRx, will work together to turn their dream of personalised 3D printed medicine into a reality on the back of grant funding from Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency. The ground-breaking project will be working to revolutionise the future of medicine and make crucial advancements for the medical field for the UK.
A major limitation of medicines today is that they are only manufactured in a limited number of specific strengths and sizes which can lead to inaccurate dosing and care for patients. This is especially common in children as the current medication sets available are not easily adaptable or “fit for purpose” for their size and conditions. In addition, patients with certain conditions also can suffer from significant problems swallowing large tablets.
This new development in 3D printed medicine will seek to resolve these issues as dosing can be much more accurately controlled and each batch of medication can be made on demand specifically for each individual patient and their needs. 3D printing technology can make it possible for each patients consumable to have extremely precise dosages and even holds the future possibility for medications to be combined and make regimes of care easier for both doctors and patients to adhered to, thus resulting in faster recovery times and higher quality of life.
The new concept medications will also have the option to come in personalised flavours and shapes to add more enjoyment to the process and encourage young children to take their medications more easily and regularly. Remedy Health and FabRx will use a patented soft vegan gummy gel formula to encapsulate the medications and 3D print their ‘printlets’, which will make it much easier and more pleasant for patients of all ages.
Dr Alvaro Goyanes, Director of Development for FabRx said, ‘Having pioneered the concept of 3D printing of oral pharmaceutical products, FabRx is delighted to partner with Remedy Health in the development of a unique and truly innovative system specially designed to meet the demanding requirements of the pharmaceutical industry. The system will allow manufacture of bespoke medications with unique properties, better designed to meet the needs of patients.’
CEO of Remedy Health and serial entrepreneur Melissa Snover also comments, ‘We are thrilled to be able to use our patented 3D printing technology to provide an improved experience to medical patients all over the world. Our vision to create personalised medicine will revolutionize the way people take medication and make their treatment more accurate, more efficient and more enjoyable.’
By combining the expertise and experience Melissa has gained since launching the world’s first 3D printer for candy with her company Katjes Magic Candy Factory, and with the specialisms and
research conducted by FabRx; this partnership development in 3D printed medicine has high hopes to improve the lives of millions of people every day.
Background on Katjes UK– Magic Candy Factory:
Since launching their first 3D printer for candy just over 2 years ago, Katjes UK - Magic Candy Factory have already set an unprecedented standard for customisation in the confectionary industry. They have now installed their advanced 3D printing systems in retail outlets across Europe, the USA, the UAE, New Zealand, Australia and China. They also 3D print custom made logos and selfies in candy for large corporate functions and private parties all over the world. All their candy prints in just 5 minutes making their 3D printer the fastest in the world, and all their ingredients are vegan, allergen free and Halal and Kosher friendly, meaning they can be enjoyed by almost anyone.
Background on Remedy Health:
Remedy Health is spin off start-up founded by Melissa Snover, which is focusing on launching two new brands based around personalized nutrition and medicine. Utilising the patented 3D printing technology and encapsulation formulas of Katjes Magic Candy Factory, Remedy Health is set to disrupt the nutrition and pharmaceutical industries with its innovative concepts. They will start with launching Nourished in the UK this summer, which will allow consumers to combine 7 different active ingredients into one daily and personalised nutrition stack.
Background on FABRX:
Founded in 2014 by academics from University College London, FrbRx develop printed medicines and drug-loaded medical devices. The rapidly growing biotech business has a strong belief in the potential of 3D printers to revolutionise the way medicines are manufactured. They have been working at the Advanced 3D Printing Lab at UCL conducting research surrounding 3D printed medicines for more than 5 years and have more than 27 scientific articles published and 3 patent applications.
Background on Innovate UK:
Innovate UK is passionate about funding businesses and research collaborations to help accelerate innovation and realise the potential of new ideas which makes personalised 3D printed medicine the perfect investment for them. FrbRx are currently conducting clinical studies in hospitals in Spain using the Remedy Health model, and with the significant grant from Innovate UK, their extensive research and testing will become a much faster and optimised process. All parties are incredibly excited to embark on this innovative journey together and make the future of medicine 3D!
NOTES TO EDITOR:
10 million children under 5 die by the end of this year. Specific products for children could save two thirds (UNICEF, BMJ Vol 335 p1227)
Less than one third of medicines have a form appropriate for children (World Health Organisation, BMJ Vol 335 p1227)
In first world countries, more than half of children have taken drugs that are not approved for them (BMJ Vol 335 p1227)
We can make ‘Printlets’ with different layers where each drug is represented as a different colour. We have currently made printlets with up to 4 different drugs.
We plan to integrate the printer with a camera to monitor the printing progression and keep a record of the whole process.
There is currently no 3D printer on the market which is adapted for the printing of medicines
Global press contact:
Remedy Health
30 Floodgate Street
Birmingham
B5 5SL
Caitlin Stanley / Melissa Snover
Phone: 07584252400 / 07587130021
Caitlin.richards@lovekatjes.com