“Abstract:
Three-dimensional printing technology, also called additive manufacturing technology, is used to prepare personalized 3D-printed drugs through computer-aided model design. In recent years, the use of 3D printing technology in the pharmaceutical field has become increasingly sophisticated. In addition to the successful commercialization of Spritam®in 2015, there has been a succession of Triastek’s 3D-printed drug applications that have received investigational new drug (IND) approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Compared with traditional drug preparation processes, 3D printing technology has significant advantages in personalized drug manufacturing, allowing easy manufacturing of preparations with complex structures or drug release behaviors and rapid manufacturing of small batches of drugs. This review summaries the mechanisms of the most commonly used 3D printing technologies, describes their characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, and applications in the pharmaceutical industry, analyzes the progress of global commercialization of 3D printed drugs and their problems and challenges, reflects the development trends of the 3D printed drug industry, and guides researchers engaged in 3D printed drugs.
Introduction:
In contrast to the traditional manufacturing techniques of “subtractive manufacturing”, 3D printing is an “additive manufacturing” technology, where a model is constructed using computer-aided design software, sliced, and transferred to a printer, and the 3D product is then constructed layer by layer using the principle of layered manufacturing [1,2]. With the research and development of 3D printing technology, many new 3D printing technologies have emerged one after another. As each 3D printing technology uses different materials, deposition techniques, layering manufacturing mechanisms, and final product characteristics, the American Society for Testing and Materials classified 3D printing technologies into seven categories according to their technical principles [3,4], namely material extrusion, binder jetting, powder bed fusion, vat photopolymerization, material jetting, directed energy deposition, and sheet lamination.
Three-dimensional printing technology is widely used in automotive, construction, aerospace, medical, and many other fields. In the pharmaceutical sector, research into 3D printing technology is currently experiencing a global boom [5,6]. Compared to traditional preparation technologies, 3D printing offers flexibility in the design of complex 3D structures within drugs, the adjustment of drug doses and combinations, and rapid manufacturing and prototyping, enabling precise control of drug release to meet a wide range of clinical needs, a high degree of flexibility and creativity to personalize pharmaceuticals, and a significant reduction in preparation development time, driving a breakthrough in drug manufacturing technology and transforming the way we design, manufacture, and use drugs [7,8,9]. Three-dimensional printing technologies have been used to manufacture a variety of medicinal products, such as immediate-release tablets, controlled-release tablets, dispersible films, microneedles, implants, and transdermal patches [10]. The main 3D printing technologies used in pharmaceuticals are BJ-3DP, FDM, SSE, and MED in material extrusion, and SLA [11]. Table 1 describes the characteristics of these technologies at each stage of drug preparation and assesses the advantages and disadvantages of each technology. …”
Wang S, Chen X, Han X, Hong X, Li X, Zhang H, Li M, Wang Z, Zheng A. A Review of 3D Printing Technology in Pharmaceutics: Technology and Applications, Now and Future. Pharmaceutics. 2023 Jan 26;15(2):416. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15020416. PMID: 36839738; PMCID: PMC9962448.
