Shaping the future: recent advances of 3D printing in drug delivery and healthcare

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a relatively new, rapid manufacturing technology that has found promising applications in the drug delivery and medical sectors. Arguably, never before has the healthcare industry experienced such a transformative technology. This review aims to discuss the state of the art of 3D printing technology in healthcare and drug delivery.

Areas covered: The current and future applications of printing technologies within drug delivery and medicine have been discussed. The latest innovations in 3D printing of customized medical devices, drug-eluting implants, and printlets (3D-printed tablets) with a tailored dose, shape, size, and release characteristics have been covered. The review also covers the state of the art of 3D printing in healthcare (covering topics such as dentistry, surgical and bioprinting of patient-specific organs), as well as the potential of recent innovations, such as 4D printing, to shape the future of drug delivery and to improve treatment pathways for patients.

Expert opinion: A future perspective is provided on the potential for 3D printing in healthcare, covering strategies to overcome the major barriers to integration that are faced today.

KEYWORDS:

• Three-dimensional printing
• oral drug delivery systems
• digital healthcare
• additive manufacturing
• 3D-printed drug products
• personalized pharmaceuticals

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Article highlights

• 3D printing is forecast to revolutionize drug delivery, moving away from mass manufacture toward small-batch personalized medicines.

• Drug products and medical devices can be designed to have tailored dosages, geometries and drug release depending on the clinical requirements.

• 3D printing has been widely adopted in the dentistry and medical fields to create patient-specific objects and even organs.

• For the first time, personalized 3D-printed medicines have been evaluated in a clinical study in pediatrics to treat a rare metabolic disease.

• The future of 3D printing will require the integration of real-time quality control processes to ensure product safety and efficacy.

This box summarizes key points contained in the article.

Additional information

Funding

The work was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), (EP/L01646X).