Is 3D Printing Used in Pharmacies or for Drug Manufacturing?

Most tablets and capsules you pick up from the pharmacy are mass produced. Anyone can take the pills if they're prescribed them. In other words, people with unique needs, but similar medical conditions, take the same physical pills.

In recent years, however, the pharmacy world has been researching personalized medicine. This is a new approach to making and using medications. Personalized medicine's goal is to make medications that are unique for someone's needs.

Many industries use 3D printing. It’s a technology that involves building items from the bottom up. And it’s beginning to make small waves in the pharmacy world. Researchers are exploring 3D printing as a way to manufacture personalized medicines. Many studies have looked at the potential benefits of 3D printing medications.

Here, we’ll discuss what we already know about 3D printing medications, the challenges the technology faces, and what the future holds.

How does 3D printing medications work?

3D printing technology has gained popularity in recent years. Many items can be 3D printed. This may range from shoes to walkway bridges, medical devices, and even medications. 

There are many different methods for 3D printing medications. All methods have the same goal of tailoring the medication for the person who will be taking it.

For example, before 3D printing begins, a person can digitally design a model for the medication. Like making lasagna, a machine then prints the medication one layer at a time until it's completed. Experts call this fused deposition modeling (FDM). 

The inkjet method is another way of 3D printing medications. This involves placing liquid droplets of a medication on an edible material. This material is known as a substrate. Examples of substrates include rice paper and icing sheets. The purpose of this is to create a medication that's dissolved with saliva and needs little to no water.

3D printing technology can also create personalized topical treatment devices. This scans a person’s facial features, like their nose, to create a mask. This mask contains anti-acne topical medications like salicylic acid.

Additionally, research has been done to use lasers to form medications.

What are the potential benefits of 3D printing medications?

Medication needs vary from person to person. This is true even if they're diagnosed with the same medical condition. Treatment needs may depend on factors such as age, body size, and health background. Typical medications don’t usually consider these differences.

But 3D printed medications are customizable. Potential benefits of this include:

• The ability to print medications in different shapes, doses, and sizes. For example, many medications are made for adults. Pediatricians may need to cut pills to make them appropriate for children to take.

• Creating medications for people who have difficulty swallowing pills. For example, saliva can dissolve certain pills made with the inkjet method.

What research has been done on 3D printing medications?

There is plenty of more research to do on the topic of 3D printing medications. But several studies have already explored what 3D printing medications may look like in practice. Below, we discuss a few of those studies. 

Research on fused deposition modeling (FDM)

Researchers have looked at the FDM method’s ability to print medications. Some studies have used it to incorporate design elements to prevent the misuse of high-risk medications. One example of this research is with tramadol, a medication used to treat pain. Others have used FDM technology to control how fast a medication is released in a person’s body.

Examples of researched medications using the FDM method include:

• Diabetes medications, such as metformin

• Heart medications, such as diltiazem (Cardizem)

• Antibiotic medications such as amoxicillin (Amoxil)

• Pain medications, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)

Research on the inkjet method

Several studies have looked at the inkjet method’s ability to create combination medications.

One study used this method to print enalapril (Vasotec) with or without hydrochlorothiazide (Microzide). These are both medications used to treat high blood pressure. 3D printing allowed researchers to make unique doses of both medications in the same pill. Traditional combination medications come in standard, fixed doses.

Separately, an animal study examined if 3D printing skin patches containing fluorouracil could help treat pancreatic cancer. This study showed that 3D printing allowed researchers to create a unique patch that couldn’t be made by traditional methods. In the study, 3D printed-fluorouracil patches were active for longer than traditional fluorouracil. This may help improve medication effectiveness.

Are any 3D-printed medications FDA-approved?

Spritam (levetiracetam) is the first FDA-approved, 3D-printed medication. Spritam treats certain types of seizures.

Spritam comes as a tablet for oral suspension. This means it’s meant to break apart in your mouth when taken with a small drink of water. It can also dissolve when placed into a small amount of liquid.

The first printed layer of Spritam contains the active part of the medication and a few other ingredients. This active part provides therapeutic effects. Next is a liquid layer that binds everything together to create a dissolvable tablet. This tablet can provide up to 1,000 mg of medication.

Are 3D-printed medications as effective as typical medications?

This is still being determined. Few 3D-printed medications have been widely tested.

Yet, Spritam is as effective in treating seizures as the traditional version of levetiracetam. It can also dissolve faster than the traditional medication.

However, Spritam is just one example. Future studies will determine if 3D printing methods are as effective as traditional medications.

What are the drawbacks or concerns of 3D printing medications?

Cost is one of the most significant drawbacks of 3D printing medications. The traditional way of making medications allows manufacturers to make large amounts of medications at a time. Producing items in large quantities is more cost effective. 3D printing focuses on making medications in small batches.

The FDA holds 3D-printed medications to the same safety and effectiveness standards as traditional medications.  It may be a challenge for manufacturers of 3D-printed medications to meet those standards. 

3D printing medications may also face medication quality challenges. As discussed, this process involves tightly packing a medication and other ingredients into many layers. The layering process can cause shifting, leaning, and warping of the pill shape and change the way it releases a medication.

Can you 3D print medications at home? 

Not right now. 

Most studies focus on researching printing methods in a controlled research environment. But there may be a possibility of 3D printing medications at home in the future. This would require the development of smaller and more accessible printing methods.

Will 3D printing medications be common in the future?

As 3D printing technology continues to improve, there’s a good chance that 3D printing medications will become more common in the future. Healthcare providers may also be able to print medications on-site from their office. 

But, as discussed, the cost of 3D printing is a key challenge that will need to be addressed.

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Written by:

Abe Amos, PharmD

Abe Amos, PharmD, is a clinical advisor for health plans and has experience working with large national government-funded programs. He is a postgraduate year 1 (PGY-1) managed care residency coordinator and also has community retail pharmacy experience.

Edited by:

Joshua Murdock, PharmD, BCBBS

Joshua Murdock, PharmD, BCBBS, is a licensed pharmacist in Arizona, Colorado, and Rhode Island. He has worked in the pharmacy industry for more than 10 years and currently serves as a pharmacy editor for GoodRx.

Reviewed by:

Christina Aungst, PharmD

Christina Aungst, PharmD, is a pharmacy editor for GoodRx. She began writing for GoodRx Health in 2019, transitioning from freelance writer to editor in 2021.

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