Abstract

3D PRINTING IN PHARMACEUTICS

Pooja S. Nair*, Elizabeth Eapen, Anju Elza Joseph, Nimmi Aji George

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a type of additive manufacturing technology. It is a layer by layer process capable of producing 3D products from digital designs. It has the potential to be the “next great step” in pharmaceutical manufacturing, enabling fabrication of specialty drugs and medical devices. 3D printing could be used for personalized or unique dosage forms, more complex drug-release profiles, and printing living tissue. Spitram is the first 3D printed tablet. For years, these methods were extensively used in the field of biomanufacturing (especially for bone and tissue engineering) to produce sophisticated and tailor-made scaffolds from patient scans. There’s no question that 3D printing is going to change the world. From manufacturing to design, medicine to electronics, the technology has made significant leaps in terms of production - making what was once expensive and inaccessible now cost-efficient and available to many.

Keywords: Additive manufacturing, computer-aided design, stereolithography, fused deposit modeling, personalized medicine.