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@article{193435,
        author = {Panukanti Mukund},
        title = {3D Printing in Pharmaceutics: Current Challenges and Future Directions},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {10},
        pages = {487-493},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=193435},
        abstract = {Three-dimensional (3D) printing, also termed additive manufacturing (AM), has emerged as a transformative technology in pharmaceutical sciences, offering unprecedented opportunities for personalized medicine, complex drug delivery architectures, and on-demand fabrication of dosage forms. Despite remarkable progress in the past decade—culminating in the FDA approval of the first 3D-printed tablet (Spritam®, 2015)—widespread clinical adoption remains constrained by unresolved technical, regulatory, and economic challenges. This review provides a structured analysis of the primary 3D printing modalities employed in drug product manufacturing, including fused deposition modeling (FDM), stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS), inkjet-based printing, and semi-solid extrusion (SSE). We critically examine their mechanistic foundations, pharmaceutical applications across therapeutic areas, and the current barriers impeding their translational progress. Key challenges discussed include material biocompatibility and regulatory compliance, print resolution limitations, scalability constraints, post-processing requirements, and the absence of pharmacopoeial standards. Looking forward, we identify convergent innovations—including artificial intelligence-driven formulation design, multi-drug polypills, bioprinted drug delivery scaffolds, and decentralized point-of-care manufacturing—as pivotal future directions. This review aims to serve as a comprehensive resource for pharmaceutical scientists, formulation engineers, and regulatory professionals navigating the evolving landscape of 3D-printed drug products.},
        keywords = {3D printing; additive manufacturing; fused deposition modeling; personalized medicine; drug delivery; pharmaceutical formulation; regulatory affairs; point-of-care manufacturing; polypill; bioprinting},
        month = {March},
        }