How Personalised 3D-Printed Drugs Can Cut Costs & Eliminate Fakes

Although 3D printing in life sciences is mostly associated with organs, of late, 3D-printed drugs are also gaining traction. Let’s find out the benefits of this fast growing tech solution that promises to solve the industry’s manufacturing woes.

- Ayesha Siddiqui

As the pharmaceutical industry moves away from mass production towards a more personalised model, 3D printing of drugs has the potential to revolutionise the industry.

The first 3D-printed pharmaceutical drug – Spritam (a levetiracetam tablet) by US’ Aprecia Pharmaceuticals – was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) in 2015. Spritam treats epilepsy symptoms. Since then, the segment has seen a flurry of activities and interest. The Global 3D printed drugs market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15.2 per cent from 2021-2027 to reach $2,064.8 million by 2027, according to UnivDatos Market Insights.

What are the benefits?

Personalised medicines is the most obvious application of 3D printing. Sharing more on 3D printing Dr Alice Melocchi, Co-Founder and CSO, Multiply Labs, US said “One of the main advantages of 3D printing techniques in the context of pharmaceutics is the possibility to personalise the drug products based on the patients needs. By way of example, this entails type and dosage of the drug-loaded as well as excipient selection, but would also extend to the design of the drug products and the patient-specific release profiles to be attained.” .

Multiply Labs helps pharmaceutical companies produce drugs with its robotic manufacturing platform. Its cloud-controlled robots are designed to autonomously manufacture small batches of personalised, multi-compartment capsules.

Recent supply chain challenges and demand for worldwide stocks has also seen renewed interest in 3D printing. It helps overcome supply chain issues and provide stability in supply chains – seen as an issue in the recent pandemic.