The complex world of 3D-printed drugs

The prospect of tailor-made drugs that are customized to your individual needs has moved a step closer with the recent announcement of the first 3D-printed (3DP) drug to gain approval from the US food and drug administration (FDA). The vision behind 3DP is that medication will be customized to individuals in ways that make it safer and more effective. The size, dose, appearance and rate of delivery of a drug can be designed to suit an individual. FDA approved Spritam, for example, uses 3DP technology to create a more porous pill that is easier to swallow.
3DP technology is already up and running in many areas. It allows orthopedic surgeons to print artificial bone, using scans to mold surgical materials into exactly the required size and shaped piece to replace damaged or missing bone. They’ve created skull implants for people with head trauma and titanium heels to replace a bone eroded by cancer.
But these customized surgical implants and grafts, like the new drug Spritam, are fairly crude adaptations of existing materials. The really exciting innovation is yet to come!