Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose-based controlled release dosage by melt extrusion and 3D printing: Structure and drug release correlation

[Display omitted] •Novel and efficient manufacturing method by coupling of HME and 3D printing.•Produce different structured tablets with designed drug released profiles.•Tablets #3, 5, 6 and 9 can achieve zero order drug release.•Structure and HPMC matrix contribute to the steady and constant drug release rates.•Investigation of the correlation of the tablets structure and drug release profiles. The objective of this study was to develop a new approach for fabrication of zero order release of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) using hot-melt extrusion (HME) and 3D printing technology to generate tablets with specific 3D structures. By correlating the geometry of the 3D printed tablets with their dissolution and drug release rates, mathematical models that have been developed to describe drug release mechanisms were also studied. Acetaminophen was used as a model drug, and Benecel™ hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) E5 and Soluplus® were used to formulate nine fuse depositional 3D-printed tablets with different inner core fill densities and outside shell thicknesses. This work reports the successful fabrication of solid-dispersion filaments with an API dispersed in HPMC based matrix via HME technology, and the production of zero order controlled release tablets with different 3D structures (tablets #3, 5, 6, and 9) using a 3D printer.