Three-dimensional printed drug delivery systems

Abstract Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a fast-growing additive manufacturing process, which is transforming not only the pharmaceutical sector but also the fabrication of goods across various fields such as material sciences and engineering, and biomedical and biocompatible structure components. In the pharmaceutical industry the 3D printing technology plays a pivotal role in the manufacturing of customized pharmaceutics. Examples of precise manufacturing of individually developed dosage forms encompass drug delivery systems (DDSs) with accelerated release profiles, adjustable and personalized dosage forms as well as cell-based materials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. This chapter presents 3D printing as a method to fabricate DDSs. The term “DDS” in this chapter refers to any combination of drugs and excipients (e.g., polymers and ceramics) in any format (i.e., tablet, pellet, mesh, fiber, etc.) that can be utilized to deliver therapeutics. The chapter covers the main progress made in the past years using the following techniques: direct write: pressure-assisted systems, fused deposition modeling, and inkjet printing.