Pharmaceutical Additive Manufacturing: a Novel Tool for Complex and Personalized Drug Delivery Systems

Abstract

Inter-individual variability is always an issue when treating patients of different races, genders, ages, pharmacogenetics, and pharmacokinetic characteristics. However, the development of novel dosage forms is limited by the huge investments required for production line modifications and dosages diversity. Additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing can be a novel alternative solution for the development of controlled release dosages because it can produce personalized or unique dosage forms and more complex drug-release profiles. The primary objective of this manuscript is to review the 3D printing processes that have been used in the pharmaceutical area, including their general aspects, materials, and the operation of each AM technique. Advantages and shortcomings of the technologies are discussed with respect to practice and practical applications. Thus, this review will provide an overview and discussion on advanced pharmaceutical AM technologies, which can be used to produce unique controlled drug delivery systems and personalized dosages for the future of personalized medicine.

Additive manufacturing and supply chains – a systematic review

“…Another industry where more research is required is pharma. Zhang et al (2018), as well as Akmal et al (2018), have already taken the first strides into the investigation of personalised drug delivery systems. Besides medical investigation, operations and SC researchers need to contribute to this novel field of AM application.…”

Optimization and Prediction of Ibuprofen Release from 3D DLP Printlets Using Artificial Neural Networks

“…Three-dimensional printing (3DP) is an additive manufacturing process that allows the fabrication of three-dimensional solid objects of virtually any shape from a 3D model file [1,2,3]. The basic mechanism for most types of 3D printing is the same (layer-by-layer production of 3D objects from digital designs) [4], but the difference lies in input materials and operating principles. There are several types of 3D printing technologies: fused deposition modeling (FDM)—based on extrusion [5], selective laser sintering (SLS)—based on powder bed fusion [6], stereolithography (SLA), and digital light processing technology (DLP)—based on photopolymerization of the resin and others [2].…”

An update on the contribution of hot-melt extrusion technology to novel drug delivery in the twenty-first century: part I

“…FDM is a typical extrusion process in which a thermoplastic polymer filament is extruded through a nozzle, where it is heated and then deposited layer-by-layer as designed [84]. This FDM technology requires filaments for printing pharmaceutical products.…”