Fridge-sized machine makes prescription drugs 'on demand'

Scientists have created a compact machine that can churn out thousands of doses of prescription medication in a day -- putting the capabilities of a drug-manufacturing plant into a device the size of a kitchen refrigerator.
Experts said the advance could eventually allow on-the-spot drug production in special circumstances -- on the battlefield, during epidemics, after natural disasters, or in cases where a drug is needed for a rare medical condition, for instance.
The research, detailed in the April 1 issue of Science, took a new approach to producing prescription drugs -- which, right now, is often an inefficient, time-consuming process.
Chemical engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) used so-called "flow technology" to develop a compact machine that can automatically turn raw materials into a finished pharmaceutical-grade medication.
For now, the system is limited to making liquid versions of four common prescription drugs: the antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac); diphenhydramine hydrochloride, an antihistamine that includes brand-names like Benadryl; the sedative diazepam (Valium); and lidocaine, a widely used local anesthetic.  But the researchers say that drug list can be expanded.
"We're also working on producing tablets, which are more complicated to manufacture than liquid drug formulations," said Klavs Jensen, a professor of chemical engineering at MIT who worked on the study. Other technologies -- such as 3D "bioprinters" -- could help make that happen, according to Jensen.
    Health Day

Many drug companies are already looking into alternative processing methods -- ones that are "continuous" and can be done at one location, Jensen said.
The traditional way of drug-making is similar to cooking, according to Rainer Martin, a senior scientist with drug company Hoffmann-La Roche, in Basel, Switzerland.
Martin, who wrote an editorial published with the study, explained the process this way: Drugs are made in "batches," and the ingredients -- broad groups of chemicals known as reagents, catalysts and solvents -- are gradually added into a vat, stirred and heated. Then, the brew is analyzed to see if the chemical reactions are complete.
                 
                                                                               
    

 

Fridge-sized machine makes prescription drugs on demand

Scientists have created a compact machine that can churn out thousands of doses of prescription medication in a day -- putting the capabilities of a drug-manufacturing plant into a device the size of a kitchen refrigerator. Experts said the advance could eventually allow on-the-spot drug production in special circumstances -- on the battlefield, during epidemics, after natural disasters, or in cases where a drug is needed for a rare medical condition, for instance. The research, detailed in the April 1 issue of Science, took a new approach to producing prescription drugs -- which, right now, is often an inefficient, time-consuming process. Chemical engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) used so-called flow technology to develop a compact machine that can automatically turn raw materials into a finished pharmaceutical-grade medication. For now, the system is limited to making liquid versions of four common prescription drugs: the antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac); diphenhydramine hydrochloride, an antihistamine that includes brand-names like Benadryl; the sedative diazepam (Valium); and lidocaine, a widely used local anesthetic. But the researchers say that drug list can be expanded. Were also working on producing tablets, which are more complicated to manufacture than liquid drug formulations, said Klavs Jensen, a professor of chemical engineering at MIT who worked on the study. Other technologies -- such as 3D bioprinters -- could help make that happen, according to Jensen. Health Day Many drug companies are already looking into alternative processing methods -- ones that are continuous and can be done at one location, Jensen said. The traditional way of drug-making is similar to cooking, according to Rainer Martin, a senior scientist with drug company Hoffmann-La Roche, in Basel, Switzerland. Martin, who wrote an editorial published with the study, explained the process this way: Drugs are made in batches, and the ingredients -- broad groups of chemicals known as reagents, catalysts and solvents -- are gradually added into a vat, stirred and heated. Then, the brew is analyzed to see if the chemical reactions are complete.