A Review Of 3D Printing Techniques for Dosage Form Development

Traditional ‘single-drug-single-target’ approach, where a drug molecule interacts with a specific target, falls short in effectively treating complex and refractory diseases which typically require multiple medications. Prescriptions to take multiple medications results in increased dosage burden for patients leading to lower patient compliance. Fixed dose combination medications simplify treatment and reduce dosage burden for patients requiring multiple medications but limit prescription flexibility. With the emergence of personalized medicine, there is a growing need for technologies enabling customizable dosage forms and combinations to overcome these limitations. 3D printing is a cutting-edge technology that enables creation of customizable medications as per individual patient requirements. This gives 3D printing a significant advantage over conventional manufacturing methods. Thus, this review focuses on various 3D printing technologies and their advantages and limitations in the development of pharmaceutical dosage forms.