Adare, Laxxon to Collaborate on 3D-Printed Oral Dosage Forms

A joint press release on Sept. 18, 2024 announced an imminent partnership between Adare Pharma Solutions, a Philadelphia-based contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focused on oral dosage forms and associated technology, and Laxxon Medical, headquartered in New York City with R&D operations centralized in Jena, Germany (1). The alliance will work to provide current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) 3D printing capabilities to the pharmaceutical market, originating out of an Adare facility in Milan, Italy.

Utilizing Exentis Group’s Screen-Printed Innovative Drug (SPID) technology, 3D-printed oral dosage forms containing advanced geometric internal structures, plus a heterogeneous distribution of APIs, will be created, according to the press release (1). The end results desired by the two companies are formulation of complex pharmaceuticals whose properties are optimized—including but not limited to customizable release profiles of one or more APIs—improved bioavailability, and tailored pharmacokinetics.

“Our Pessano facility provides comprehensive CDMO solutions to customers in Europe, the United States, and Asia,” Tom Sellig, Adare CEO, said in the press release. “Adare’s collaboration with Laxxon expands our ability to provide incredible dose flexibility options such as taste masking, solubility enhancement, shape modifications for ease of swallowing, and multiple APIs.”

In May 2024, Adare announced that it would expand its high-potency handling capabilities in the US and Europe, including upgrades to the 220,000-sq-ft Pessano facility in Milan (2). Other improvements were to be made to Adare locations in Philadelphia and Ohio, with construction slated to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2024.

Similarly, the 3D printing system and new bulk preparation mixer installed at the Pessano site with the Adare-Laxxon partnership in mind should be fully operational by Q4 2024, the press release said (1).

“Laxxon’s partnership with Adare represents a significant step forward in actualizing our mission to drive disruptive global drug delivery and manufacturing solutions,” Helmut Kerschbaumer, CEO of Laxxon Medical, said in the press release. “This is an essential collaboration for Laxxon; Adare, with their CDMO expertise and state-of-the-art cGMP facilities, will enable us to produce clinical samples for our partners as well as our own internal pipeline.”

At INTERPHEX in New York City in April 2024, Pharmaceutical Technology® spoke to Bill Whitford, strategic solutions leader at Arcadis, about the role and impact of 3D bioprinting for biologics (3).

“Machine vision now is really simple,” Whitford said at the time. “Ordering 3D printing and the ability to both direct and inspect a nascent print job using artificial intelligence (AI) … they feed on each other. The availability of bioprinters and what we call bio ‘inks’ is, in a commercial sense, what's really driving the final applications.”

References

1. Adare Pharma Solutions. Adare And Laxxon Announce 3D-Printing Collaboration. Press Release. Sept. 18, 2024.
2. Adare Pharma Solutions. Adare Expands Global High Potency Handling and Packaging Capabilities. Press Release. May 1, 2024.
3. Spivey, C. Bill Whitford of Arcadis Discusses 3D Printing for Biologics (INTERPHEX 2024). PharmTech.com, Apr. 16, 2024.