Triastek’s Latest 3D Printed Drug for Ulcerative Colitis Can Target the Colon Directly

3D printing is increasingly making its way into healthcare, including in pharmaceuticals. Indeed, a few different companies are exploring the use of additive manufacturing to create custom drugs for better treatment of diseases. Now one of the largest, Chinese manufacturer Triastek, has announced a recent success in a first in human (FIH) study for its third 3D printed drug product, T21. It has been proven to deliver the drug directly to the colon for treatment of moderate to severe ulcerative colitis (UC). It is the first time that the colon targeting platform has been verified in human trials according to Triastek.

For those who are not familiar, ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. According to the Mayo Clinic, it causes inflammation and ulcers in the innermost lining of the large intestine, otherwise known as the colon. Though there is no cure, treatment is imperative in avoiding life-threatening complications such as a perforated colon, increased risk of blood clots, severe bleeding, severe dehydration and more.

Triastek is one of the leading manufacturers of 3D printed drugs (photo credits: Triastek)

Indeed, the disease often develops in adulthood and has a prevalence of 156 to 291 cases per 100,000 persons per year. This results in an estimated 600,000 to 900,000 living with the disease in the United States alone. However, as with other gastrointenstinal diseases, though taking medicine orally is the preferred method of drug administration, its effectiveness can vary wildly between patients. This is because the digestive environmental and mucosal transport mechanisms across the gastrointestinal tract can differ substantially. As a result, this can lead to complications such as the medication being released in other parts of the gastrointestinal system and it has often been difficult to achieve precise delivery of drugs to specific locations. This is the exact issue that Triastek is hoping to address with T21, an oral colon-targeted delivery drug which has already received IND clearance from the FDA.