University of Glasgow scientists might have just come across an incredible new approach to providing patients with pharmaceutical medications on demand, reported first by International Business Times. This new technology has been published in the Science journal, and is believed to have an immensely positive impact on chemistry, specifically access to medication, providing patients and drug companies with the utmost convenience.
The process is much similar to that of Spotify and other music programs. A digital code is sent to a specialized 3D printer, which then can develop and synthesize the drug on demand. The receiving end would only need starting compounds that are widely available. The doctor could send the prescription, which would be the digital code, to the patient or company and they can then get their medication. Like Spotify, the program hosts thousands of digital files and gives the consumer instant playback. This technology has much potential to completely change the pharmaceutical game.
This will provide pharmaceutical companies with a full supply of treatments and not have to worry about running out. They believe it could also bring down the prices of medications and help eliminate any counterfeiting that happens in the industry. It could also bring large scale production of drugs that are hard to obtain, giving those with rare diseases better access to what they need when they need it.
During their study, they produced Baclofen, which is a drug used for muscle relaxation and can help aid multiple sclerosis. They successfully generated a digital code for the drug, similar to burning a CD. Lee Cronin, the one who designed the technique, believes this will offer so much to pharmaceutical companies and all the patients who are in need of medication.
They hope to continue to develop more digital codes for a variety of medications to build up and hope to offer this technology on a grander scale in the future.
