3D Printed Devices as Drug Delivery Systems

Additive manufacturing, also known as three-dimensional (3D) printing technology, refers to a general term for techniques that apply computeraided manufacturing systems from a computer-aided design model to build 3D physical objects. In recent years, 3D printing has become increasingly popular in pharmaceutical research. 3D printing benefits the design of drug delivery devices owing to its ability to produce complex 3D structures, fabricate multiple compartment dosage forms, and its versatility in creating devices with various drug release profiles. In 2015, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first 3D-printed drug delivery system for humans, the orodispersible tablet Spritam®, which spurred further research in the field of drug delivery. This chapter provides an overview of the use of 3D printing technologies in fabricating drug delivery systems. It summarizes the most common polymers used for the 3D printing of drug delivery systems, the main chemical ingredients used as additives in pharmacology, the most common dosage forms, and the significant factors that influence drug release.