3D printing is predominantly been used in manufacturing and has been around for many years. Also called stereolithography, this type of printing can create almost any object by fusing different materials, layer by layer, to form a physical version of a digital 3D image. 3D printing has expanded into the healthcare industry also over the past 15 years. Here, it’s used to create custom prosthetics and dental implants. Now, there may be an opportunity to use it for personalized healthcare as well.

Personalized drug dosing

Add a whole new dimension of possibilities to personalized medicine, 3D printing is giving the idea of producing personalized 3D printed oral tablets to experts and researchers. Personalized, 3D-printed medications may serve particularly well for patients who respond to the same drugs in different ways.

Unique dosage forms

In the pharmaceutical production process, 3D printing could also be used to create unique dosage forms. The idea is to use inkjet-based 3D printing technology to create limitless dosage forms. It is likely that this could challenge conventional drug fabrication according to experts. The process to create novel dosage forms has already been tested for many drugs, and we will only witness more innovation as time moves on.

More complex drug release profiles

It possible to print personalized drugs that facilitate targeted and controlled drug release through 3D printing. This can be achieved by printing a binder onto a matrix powder bed in layers, creating a barrier between the active ingredients, allowing researchers to study the variations of the release more closely. There will likely be more research and investment in this area in the coming years as drug manufacturers start to understand the full set of opportunities allowing them to make more effective drugs.