The 3D printing world can add another feather to its cap.

The first FDA-approved medicine made with 3D-printing technology is now available (PDF(Opens in a new window)). Aprecia Pharmaceuticals, which submitted its application for its 3D-printed drug Spritam, says it’s the first of 3D-printed medicine to be approved by the FDA.

The 3D printing phenonomenon has grown considerably in recent years, due in large part to companies like MakerBot making 3D printers for the home. However, 3D printing has been in place in the industrial world for a long time and has been used for everything from print products to components for certain devices.

However, 3D printing is still in its early days. While it’s been a fun way for DIYers to create components, regulators are still interested in seeing just how appropriate it is for certain critical functions, including the creation of medication. You don’t want people replacing meth labs with 3D-printed Oxycontin labs.

That said, the medical field has doubled down on 3D printing. There are currently companies working on 3D-printed dentures and prosthetics, among other technologies. Several other pharmaceutical companies are at least looking at 3D printing as a means for distributing drugs, suggesting Aprecia may not be the last to make 3D printing a reality in the pharmaceutical world.

For its part, Aprecia says that its 3D printing technology is “proprietary” and its medications are designed layer by layer with a computer-aided design.

“Thin layers of powdered medication are repeatedly spread on top of one another, as patterns of liquid droplets (an aqueous fluid) are deposited or printed onto selected regions of each powder layer,” the company writes on its website. “Interactions between the powder and liquid bond these materials together at a microscopic level.”

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According to the company, because 3D printing can create a porous structure to its drugs, the medications will typically disintegrate when they come into contact with liquid.

The same is true for Spritam, which, upon touching liquid, will quickly disintegrate into the person’s mouth.

The Spritam tablet is available now. It’s designed as an “adjunctive therapy” to treat partial onset seizures and myoclonic seizures, among other conditions.