Marketing

Active ingredient

Engineering

Biomedical engineering

Materials science

Chromatography

3D printing

Computer science

New product development

Manufacturing engineering

Drug

Manufacturing process

Business

Biochemical engineering

Mechanical engineering

Pharmaceutical sciences

Nanotechnology

3d printed

Pharmaceutical industry

Critical quality attributes

Process engineering

Pharmacology

Fixed-dose combination

Composite material

Quality by Design

Pharmaceutical manufacturing

Medicine

Chemistry

Granulation

Pharmaceutical technology

Dosage form

Pharmaceutical Research

Fixed-dose combination (FDC) products containing at least two different active pharmaceutical ingredients are designed to treat more effectively different pathologies as they have demonstrated to enhance patient compliance. However, the combination of multiple drugs within the same dosage form can bring many physicochemical and pharmacodynamic interactions. The manufacturing process of FDC products can be challenging, especially when it is required to achieve different drug release profiles within the same dosage form to overcome physicochemical drug interactions. Monolithic, multiple-layer, and multiparticulate systems are the most common type of FDCs. Currently, the main manufacturing techniques utilized in industrial pharmaceutical companies rely on the use of combined wet and dry granulation, hot-melt extrusion coupled with spray coating, and compression of bilayered tablets. Nowadays, personalized medicines are gaining importance in clinical settings and 3D printing is taking a highlighted role in the manufacturing of complex and personalized 3D solid dosage forms that could not be manufactured using conventional techniques. In this review, it will be discussed in detail current marketed FDC products and their application in several diseases with an especial focus on antimicrobial drugs. Current industrial conventional techniques will be compared with 3D printing manufacturing of FDCs.

Oral Fixed-Dose Combination Pharmaceutical Products: Industrial Manufacturing Versus Personalized 3D Printing