Nanomedicines Obtained by 3D Printing

Nanomedicine encompasses the use of nanotechnology for medical applications. The development of nano-based drug delivery systems has revealed new possibilities for pharmaceutical development, increasing the efficacy, stability and bioavailability of drugs. Recently, 3D printing of pharmaceuticals has emerged as a tool to customize therapies in terms of dosage, dimensions and drug release profiles, providing fresh perspectives for health treatments with nanomedicines. To date, the addition of organic and inorganic nanoparticles in printing feedstock or final products has been proposed to obtain multiscale 3D printed dosage forms by semisolid extrusion, fused deposition modelling and inkjet printing techniques. This alliance is an approach for the development of personalized medicines with improved drug stability and/or efficacy, tailored drug release profiles, and different drug combinations, which may be intended for oral, vaginal, buccal and topical administration. Hence, to reach a new era in the development of drug delivery systems, much more can be explored through this alliance in pharmaceutics. This chapters provides an overview of recent advances in the 3D printing of nanomedicines, covering the advantages, challenges and future perspectives of the alliance between nanotechnology and 3D printing approaches in the development of novel drug delivery systems.