3D printed medicine or 3D printed drug refers to a medication that is manufactured using 3D printing technology which is an additive manufacturing approach.[1] 3D printing enables the creation of customized and precise dosage forms tailored to the specific needs of patients. As such, the field of 3D drug printing is a part of personalized or precision medicine. Furthermore, 3D drug printing is a sub-field of pharmaceutics.

Technologies

Various technologies have been developed to create 3D-printed medicines:

Applications

The most common application of 3D printing in pharmaceuticals is the production of pills or tablets. 3D printing offers precise dosing, the ability to design tablets with improved release profiles, and the capability to combine multiple medications into a single tablet.[2] Current developments primarily focus on 3D printing drugs for pediatric, geriatric, psychiatry, and neurology patients, where dosage adjustments are often necessary based on a patient's condition, and patient adherence is a challenge.[3] [4] The first 3D-printed tablet to receive FDA approval was Spritam (levetiracetam), an anti-epileptic medication.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ Capel, Andrew J.; Rimington, Rowan P.; Lewis, Mark P.; Christie, Steven D. R. (21 November 2018). "3D printing for chemical, pharmaceutical, and biological applications". Nature Reviews Chemistry. 2 (12): 422–436. doi:10.1038/s41570-018-0058-y.
  2. ^ Wang, S; Chen, X; Han, X; Hong, X; Li, X; Zhang, H; Li, M; Wang, Z; Zheng, A (26 January 2023). "A Review of 3D Printing Technology in Pharmaceutics: Technology and Applications, Now and Future". Pharmaceutics. 15 (2). doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics15020416. PMID 36839738.((cite journal)): CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  3. ^ M, Michael (29 August 2023). "Research Begins On 3D Printed Drugs For Pediatric Care". 3Dnatives.
  4. ^ Shaikhnag, Ada (11 October 2023). "MB Therapeutics uses 3D printing to create personalized medicine for children". 3D Printing Industry.
  5. ^ "First 3D-printed pill". Nature Biotechnology. 33 (10): 1014–1014. October 2015. doi:10.1038/nbt1015-1014a.
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