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3 Dimensional (3D) printing has seemed to be the technology of radical development for the pharmaceutical industry, particularly in medical device manufacturing. The current review elaborates on the applications of 3D printing, challenges, and potentials in pharmaceutical medical devices. The technology allows for complicated personalized devices with accuracy and cost-effectiveness as never before, bringing in the key applications for this technology in the fields of prostheses, orthoses, surgical guides, audiology devices, and bioresorbable implants. It brings along customization, better pre-operative planning, and new drug delivery systems, but there are quality control and regulatory challenges to be faced: material selection, process validation, sterilization, and scalability. In view of this upcoming technology, the regulatory bodies are having to update their guidelines to ensure continued safety and efficacy. On the road ahead, with artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and 4 Dimensional (4D) printing, future developments could make sophisticated medical equipment and change the management and outcome of diseases. While 3D printing opens up newer routes of innovation in the pharmaceutical industry, there are major concerns on issues of scalability and regulatory matters. This technology will thus make a significant impact on healthcare delivery through these coming decades, with changes in the global research and regulatory landscapes.
ELANGO et al. (Tue,) studied this question.