The Evolution of the 3D-Printed Drug Delivery Systems: A Review

Pharmaceutics. 2022 Jun 21;14(7):1312. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14071312.

Abstract

Since the appearance of the 3D printing in the 1980s it has revolutionized many research fields including the pharmaceutical industry. The main goal is to manufacture complex, personalized products in a low-cost manufacturing process on-demand. In the last few decades, 3D printing has attracted the attention of numerous research groups for the manufacturing of different drug delivery systems. Since the 2015 approval of the first 3D-printed drug product, the number of publications has multiplied. In our review, we focused on summarizing the evolution of the produced drug delivery systems in the last 20 years and especially in the last 5 years. The drug delivery systems are sub-grouped into tablets, capsules, orodispersible films, implants, transdermal delivery systems, microneedles, vaginal drug delivery systems, and micro- and nanoscale dosage forms. Our classification may provide guidance for researchers to more easily examine the publications and to find further research directions.

Keywords: 3D printing; TTS; drug delivery systems; implant; microneedle; tablet.

Publication types

  • Review

Grants and funding

The publication is supported by the GINOP-2.3.4-15-2020-00008 project. The project is co-financed by the European Union and the European Regional Development Fund. The research was supported by the Thematic Excellence Programme (TKP2020-IKA-04) of the Ministry for Innovation and Technology in Hungary. Project no. TKP2021-EGA-18 has been implemented with the support provided from the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund of Hungary, financed under the TKP2021-EGA funding scheme.