3D Printing in Pharmaceuticals

Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) printing, encompassing a range of additive manufacturing technologies such as fused deposition modelling (FDM), stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS), and semi-solid extrusion, is rapidly transforming pharmaceutical sciences by enabling the fabrication of tailored drug products with precise control over dosage, geometry, and release profiles. By
building dosage forms layer-by-layer from computer-aided designs, 3D printing facilitates personalized medicine that can respond to individual patient needs and improve therapeutic outcomes beyond the limitations of traditional mass manufacturing. Key applications include customized oral tablets, multidrug polypills, implantable drug reservoirs, and advanced drug delivery systems, while emerging
trends integrate 4D printing and AI-guided design for enhanced functionality. Despite promising clinical translation efforts and cost effective point-of-care manufacturing, challenges remain in material
development, regulatory pathways, quality control, scalability, and clinical validation. Continued technological innovation,interdisciplinary research, and harmonized regulation are essential to fully realize the pharmaceutical potential of 3D printing.
Keywords: 3D printing, personalized medicine, drug delivery systems,
additive manufacturing, clinical translation.