Technology: future of pharmacy

3D printer in pharmaceutical production

•What is it? :
▪︎3D printer is a massive step in technology. It
improves pharmaceutical production, clinical
pharmacy, and pharmacy practice.
The evolution in all of that enabled personalized
reference ( design, dosages, shape, size, etc…),
drug release profile ( multidrug release ), and drug
combination.

Generally, 3D printing is a process of making

three-dimensional solid dosage forms from a
digital file.
 Picture : 3D printer device

•Now let me talk about the Common

process in 3D printing for the production of
printlets (tablets)-> called the 3Ds :

Design :
Digital-computer-aided design software is
used.
Pharmacists design personalized formulations
according to the clinical requirements of individual
patients, then the formulation is transferred to the
selected 3D printer.

Development :
 This is a preparation step for the 3D printer to
start manufacturing.

According to drug characteristics, printer type,

and desired outcomes, the tablet is developed.

This occurs by inserting the required

manufacturing material (composed of drug and
excipients ) and selecting the appropriate printing
parameters ( resolution, temperature, time, etc..).

Dispensing :

The formulation is printed layer by layer then it is

ready for dispensing by pharmacists.
•Coming up is the benefits of this promising
technology for patients, pediatrics, and the
elderly ..

Since pharmaceutical production approach

efficacy decreased, the necessity for more
convenient approaches emerged. In the UK up to
70% of patients do not gain efficacy from available
therapies.
The 3D printer offers personalized treatment
according to specific therapeutic needs for
individual patients by tailoring medicines,
combining more than one drug into the same
tablet, selecting appropriate dosages only suitable
for stated patients.

This resulted in a plethora of opportunities

including :
• Improved medication adherence.
• Better therapeutic outcomes.
• Reduced adverse drug reactions.

Therefore 3D printers offer benefits for patients.

 Children got the luckiest benefits since 3D
printers can produce child-acceptable formulations
such as flavored chewable tabs and even
chocolate-based formulations.
In 2018 study by scoutaris et al. Produced
candy-like formulations for several drugs including
indomethacin.

As for older patients, using complex dosing

regimens causes non-adherence or confusion in
administration.
The ability to combine multiple drugs, dosages,
or drug releasing profiles into a single formulation
improves non-adherence and administration
errors.
 3D printers can distribute different drugs with
accurate spaces in the same formulation.
As in Robles-Martinez production of six different
drugs in one tablet ( naproxen, aspirin,
paracetamol, caffeine, chloramphenicol, and
prednisolone ).

But you should know that this is only suitable for

low therapeutic dosages (mcg/mg) to ensure
adequate administration size of the formulation.

•As a point out, manually splitting formulations to

achieve targeted dose is associated with an
increased risk of inaccurate dosing.
Since the majority of oral dosage forms
formulations are available as a single strength ;
pharmacists are asked to prepare on demand
formulations which make them outsource the work
with special manufacturing companies, and this is
costly and time consuming process .
Due to the ease of use of 3D printers, they can be
easily integrated into hospitals and community
pharmacy settings, hence pharmacists would have
access to automated compounding systems that
produce dosage forms according to specific patient
needs and regulate the number of drugs in a
formulation so as to reduce risks of inaccurate
dosing.

This is how 3D printers affect pharmacy practice.

•If you get to know that there is such rapid

technology to be used for production, when
would you use it?
Yes, you are completely right. The need for rapid
evaluation of drugs such as in pandemic
situations, 3D printers can be used in pre-clinical
and clinical evaluation in animals which hastens
the entry into human clinical trials that reduce time
and cost of development.

So 3D printers are provided in the

pharmaceutical industry.
 ●• At the end, in the future , due to 3D printer,
patients would be able to choose drug designs
from a catalog according to their personal
needs (therapeutically and personal
references)●•

■IF this got your attention here are some

videos for you:
https://youtu.be/o2n_0W6DFyc
https://youtu.be/-RkhAP0_ms4

Written by: Sajida Kamal Mohammed.

Batch: 52
Editor: Mohamed Badr.