Personalized Medicine Thanks to Volumetric 3D Printing and Semi-Solid Extrusion

3D printing is transforming drug manufacturing, offering customized solutions that improve treatments and the patient experience. Traditionally, bespoke medicines have been prepared using magistral preparations, a manual, laborious and error-prone process. However, 3D printing is emerging as a promising technology in this field, overcoming these constraints by offering the possibility of producing medicines perfectly tailored to each patient’s needs. A recent study led by Lucía Rodríguez Pombo, a researcher at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), confirms the effectiveness of 3D printed personalized medication, particularly for pediatric patients.

The study, titled Clinical Implementation of 3D Printing for the Preparation of Personalized Medicines, focuses on the application of 3D printing in a clinical context for medicine manufacturing. Under the supervision of Professors Carmen Álvarez and Álvaro Goyanes, Lucía Rodríguez Pombo explores two main technologies: semi-solid extrusion and, for the first time in the pharmaceutical field, volumetric 3D printing.

The 3D-printed drugs are designed with the patient’s needs in mind, and of course their taste preferences.

As part of this study, both techniques were evaluated for potential implementation in hospitals, highlighting their ability to produce personalized pediatric drugs, with shapes, flavors and dosages tailored to the specific needs of each patient. In particular, for the first time, two different formulations were integrated into a single printed drug, helping to improve compliance in children aged 6 to 14.