The potential of fused filament fabrication (FFF) for the administration of active pharmaceutical compounds is a recent approach to develop complex and custom-made drug delivery systems (DDSs). However, the FFF technology is characterized by certain limitations, which are associated with the nature of the process, i.e., the required mechanical properties of the feedstock, as well as the thermal stability of the incorporated polymers, excipients and active compounds. Thus, hybrid DDSs have been recently introduced, to overcome these boundaries. The concept of these systems is defined by the effective coupling of FFF with conventional manufacturing technologies, as a novel pathway to expand the available pool of raw materials and pharmaceutical applications of FFF.
Keywords: 3D printing; automated filling; biologics; electrospinning; fused filament fabrication; hybrid systems; injection molding; inkjet printing.