3D PRINTING – A NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

Three-dimensional printing (3DP) is an imminent technology used to describe 3D products generated using a digital design platform manufactured layer by layer. This technology appears to be a transformative tool. It has just emerged as a key technological breakthrough, allowing the pharmaceutical sector to develop and generate new pharmaceutical items and equipment. It’s a brand-new way to personalize pharmaceutical formulation and design. Spiratam® (levetiracetam), the first commercial 3D tablet, was approved by the FDA in August 2015, sparking a rise in interest in employing this platform for pharmaceutical development. Following the FDA’s approval of the first 3D printed tablet, Spritam. The concept can benefit patients, pharmacists, and the pharmaceutical business by enabling the on-demand design and fabrication of flexible formulations with customized dosages, forms, sizes, drug release, and multi-drug combinations. This is a watershed moment in the history of 3D printing in pharmaceuticals, needing the involvement and assistance of healthcare professionals like pharmacists, doctors, nurses, and pharmacy technicians, among others, to enable wider use of the technology. This article summarises current state-of-the-art 3D printing methods and the major benefits and motivations for using 3D printing in pharmaceuticals, emphasizing the critical role that healthcare professionals have played and will continue to play in the future integration of 3D printing into the pharmaceutical sector.