First introduced in the 80s, 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, has become a unique tool in the medical field.
It is fast becoming a cost-effective alternative means of developing custom prosthetic limbs and even less common prostheses such as windpipes.
3D printing is also being repurposed to apply to pharmaceutical advancement.
It has recently been used to create
tablets of personalized dosage and,
merge several prescriptions into a single dosage.
Possible developments talk about methods of sustained release
and the potential to integrate into the injury site
to aid in the healing process.
In 2001,
cyto-scribe technology was used in seeding patient-sourced cells onto a bladder-shaped scaffold,
which was then implanted successfully.
and back In 2003, a small kidney became the first fully printed functional organ.
In the late ’80s,
A unique method of 3D printing was created called bio-printing,
and this bio-printing
involved using a polymer gel scaffold containing cells of specified origin with the ability to print viable artificial organs.
The Creation of bioprinting has made printing functional organs possible.
3DP for drug delivery is a recently hatched idea;
traditionally,
3DP has been used to reproduce damaged tissue to test
specific delivery methods;
one example is the reconstruction of a fetal airway to test aerosol drug administration to the lungs.
Recently,
3DP has been used in the production of drugs.
The First 3D Printed Drug
With 2015 came the approval of the first 3D printed drug
, which was used for epilepsy treatment
( in particular, partial-onset seizures in children of 4 years old)
and the manufacturer of the drug copyrighted that technology to design and develop the porous and rapidly disintegrating structure.
This method allows for the production of high-dose medicines
while also simplifying ink generation.
This approach enables rapid scale-up,
but it’s tough to use in personalized medicine and combining drugs
because different powdered ingredients must be carefully
stacked between print passes.
The convenience of self- or caregiver administration,
the high dosage capacity of one tablet and the quick mode of action are
all advantages of such a pill.
Stereo-Lithography
Fused deposition modelling (FDM) is used in most of the Previous procedures;
Stereolithography (SLA) is a new 3D printing process
that may be used to generate
many layers with changeable drug content and shape.
With this advancement, polypills will be able to deliver more personalized medicine combinations for ease of intake.
3D Print allows printing of multiple geometrical shapes to modify release rate,
size of molecules, and different materials to help in the altered release.
A great point is that thermal degradation is improved,
resolution improved and the accuracy is precise enough that there is greater production speed through SLA.
In 2019,
the obstacles in SLA printing polypills was beaten through
the creation of a new printer able to print multi-layered tablets.
The production of a new machine allowed increased SLA capability to personalize polypills containing 6 active ingredients at max.
From its entry into the industrial space, additive manufacturing,
or 3D printing has revolutionized different industries,
from automotive to aerospace to healthcare.
its presence in the medical field has enabled the development of easy to administer and swallow pills.
Though only one 3D printed drug exists,
there is the potential for more to be created soon.
