Aprecia Taps Battelle to Expand Drug 3D Printing Technology

COLUMBUS, Ohio (December 30, 2020)—There remains only one company with 3D printed medicine that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Aprecia became famous in 2015 when its drug Spritam crossed that regulatory hurdle. Now, the company is partnering with Battelle, a leading research non-profit, to expand its pharmaceutical 3D printing.

Aprecia established itself with the development of what it calls its ZipDose technology, a form of binder jetting that makes it possible to 3D print large batches of tablets. Like other forms of binder jetting on the market from ExOne and voxeljet, Aprecia’s process is founded on the original Zcorp binder jetting method developed out of MIT and now owned by 3D Systems.

The pharmaceutical company’s first FDA-approved drug made with ZipDose is Spritam an anti-seizure medication targeted at people with swallowing issues. The 3D printed tablets dissolve very quickly and can easily be swallowed. Aprecia licenses its technology to pharmaceutical partners in order to extend its product lines.

Battelle is a private nonprofit company named for Ohio industrialist Gordon Battelle, which was established in 1929 to perform research and development dedicated to metals and material science. Now, it works in a wide range of fields to perform R&D, as well as commercialize technology and manage the laboratories of customers. It has played an important role in a number of historical developments, including the technology behind Xerox, as well as the first nuclear fuel rods for nuclear reactors, metals related to the U.S. space program and the first jet engines, fuel for nuclear submarines, armor plating for tanks, photovoltaic cells for solar panels, the first reusable insulin injection pen and more.

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