Emerging 3D printing technologies for drug delivery devices: Current status and future perspective

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Science
• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Conventional drug delivery systems often fail due to a lack of personalization for individual pharmacokinetic traits.
• Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, particularly three-dimensional (3D) printing, are revolutionizing drug delivery device fabrication.
• The limitations of 'one-size-fits-all' approaches necessitate innovative solutions for tailored therapeutic outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of recent advancements in 3D printed drug delivery devices.
• To highlight the advantages of AM in creating personalized medication solutions.
• To discuss the challenges and future directions for AM-enabled drug delivery systems.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on additive manufacturing techniques for drug delivery.
• Analysis of the benefits of 3D printing, including customizable design and multi-material capabilities.
• Exploration of four-dimensional (4D) printing applications in advanced drug delivery.

Main Results:

• 3D printing allows for the fabrication of complex drug delivery device architectures tailored to individual needs.
• Multi-material and 4D printing expand possibilities for sophisticated, responsive drug release profiles.
• Personalized medication delivery is a key advantage offered by these advanced manufacturing technologies.

Conclusions:

• Additive manufacturing holds significant promise for personalized drug delivery, offering unprecedented design flexibility.
• Overcoming regulatory, scalability, and cost-effectiveness hurdles is crucial for widespread adoption of AM drug delivery systems.
• Future research should focus on addressing these challenges to fully realize the potential of AM in pharmaceutical applications.