In recent years 3D printing has been an interesting, if nothing more than novel, advancement in technology. Such printing, as many of us understand it, involves plastic materials to create objects like shoes, art, and unfortunately guns.

Now, the FDA has approved the first 3D printing of medication pills. Read an article on it here:

[FDA approves first 3D-printed pill, could signal era of custom medication](http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/211663-fda-approves-first-3d-printed-pill-heralds-era-of-customized-medication)

As the article explains, typical 3D printers print in plastic, adding layer after layer to create an object. 3D pill making, is also build layer-by-layer, but instead of a polymer, the printer uses medication, up to 1000 mg of the active ingredient.

The technology is called ZipDose, and the company that created it, Aprecia Pharmaceuticals, is envisioning a world in which medications can be customized in a way that they have never been before.

For example, a patient taking different pills may now only have to take one, by printing all of the medications into one pill. Another example would be if a doctor wanted to tweak the dosage for her patient – she could create the exact amount of medication and have it printed in pill form, instead of having the patient cut a pill in half (or another fraction).

With proper safety measures, the company believes its system could “vastly reduce patient error” with such customization.

That may be true, but the author of the article has a less altruistic reason for 3D medication printing in mind: “. . . this seems like a great way to tweak a non-patented drug with proprietary technology and sell it for a higher price.”

Here’s hoping patients benefit from such technology by reducing medication errors and allowing doctors more control over dosing, rather than being burdened with higher medication costs.