Pharmaceutical 3D Printing for Psychiatric Medications: Advanced Innovations in Taste Masking and Personalized Oral...

This review aims to examine the impact of three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies on enhancing psychiatric pharmacotherapy through facilitating personalized and patient-centered drug delivery. This research specifically addresses problems such as poor medication compliance, polypharmacy, and palatability issues, especially in pediatric and elderly populations.

A thorough review of the literature was conducted, focusing on novel advances in 3D printing techniques, including fused deposition modeling (FDM), semisolid extrusion (SSE), stereolithography, inkjet printing, binder jetting, and selective laser sintering (SLS). Selected research highlighted the application of such technologies in developing customized oral drug dosage forms. Emphasis was placed on the exploitation of polymers like Eudragit® E PO, flavor-masking excipients, and their combination with biosensor and artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Case studies were assessed to ascertain their relevance and innovation in the development of psychiatric medications.

3D printing allows the manufacture of tailored psychiatric drugs with greater dosing versatility, taste masking, and the ability to merge several active drug ingredients into a single pharmaceutical form. Patient-friendly dosage forms such as chew gummies and chocolate tablets demonstrated enhanced acceptability. Also, forthcoming technologies such as 4D printing and AI-driven biosensors yield intelligent, interactive drug release systems that are specific to individual physiological or behavioral inputs.

3D printing represents a paradigm-shifting advance in psychiatric care, offering solutions to long-standing treatment compliance and fixed-dose challenges. Although regulatory and scalability challenges persist, the intersection of pharmaceutical engineering, material science, and artificial intelligence creates an encouraging platform for the future of precision mental care therapies.