Abstract
Commercial stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing has been around for over three decades. However, only recently the technology has been employed in pharmaceuticals to 3D print pills and devices for drug delivery, aided in part by the miniaturization of this technology. Compared to other 3D printing technologies based on powder or filament-based feedstock, SLA offers superior surface finish, accuracy, and material versatility. This chapter covers the major advancements in SLA 3D printing of pharmaceuticals and provides insight into the origin of SLA 3D printing and the current subcategories within this technology, the important governing process parameters, various applications in pharmaceuticals from peer-reviewed literature, and challenges that must be addressed to bring the technology closer to the clinic. Using SLA, rigid pills loaded with drugs such as paracetamol, caffeine, naproxen, chloramphenicol, prednisolone, aspirin, and berberine have been successfully 3D printed. In addition, soft devices for drug release have also been 3D printed. However, unexpected reactions have been reported in the literature which emphasize the cautionary aspect of 3D printing pharmaceuticals using SLA and the need for further meticulous research. Additionally, the regulatory hurdles including a general lack of quality control processes need to be addressed to bring this technology into the clinic. The throughput of SLA 3D printing for pharmaceuticals, like other 3D printing technologies, is substantially lower compared to conventional industrial fabrication processes. Further, post-processing steps such as support structure removal and post-curing are needed to achieve the desired end-use characteristics. However, a novel technique of volumetric 3D printing of pharmaceuticals holds promise to address some of these limitations, but the technology is still in the nascent stage and technical challenges such as dimensional accuracy and material compatibility still need to be addressed. SLA 3D printing of pharmaceuticals is a new and active area of research with potential to impact clinical practice in the future as critical roadblocks are addressed.
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Ravi, P., Patel, P. (2023). Stereolithography (SLA) in Pharmaceuticals. In: Banerjee, S. (eds) Additive Manufacturing in Pharmaceuticals. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-2404-2_3
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