Merck and AMCM / EOS Cooperate in 3D Printing of Tablets

Merck, a leading science, and technology company and AMCM, Starnberg, Germany, today announced a cooperation agreement on the 3D printing of tablets. AMCM offers customized additive manufacturing solutions and is a sister company of 3D printing worldmarket leader EOS. The cooperation targets GMP-conform (Good Manufacturing Practice) tablet formulation development and production for clinical trials in a first step and later also commercial manufacturing services.

Marie Langer, CEO of EOS, added, “We are excited to support Merck on its innovation journey. This cooperation combines Merck’s formulation competences in Healthcare as well as its excipient expertise in Life Science with our long-standing additive manufacturing know-how. Together, we will help make drug development more flexible and faster.”

Through this partnership, a novel, simplified process in clinical development of drugs can be enabled by using powder bed fusion methods, whereby a laser melts and fuses powder together layer by layer. In addition, 3D printing allows for API (active pharmaceutical development) formulation to be scalable while avoiding costly reformulations throughout the entire pharmaceutical development and commercial production processes. As a result tablet manufacturing can become faster and cheaper.

Beyond the aforementioned objectives, the vision is to allow flexible and sustainable local tablet production according to specific market requirements as well as adaptation to patient needs.