Artificial intelligence (AI) encompasses a broad spectrum of techniques that have been utilized by pharmaceutical companies for decades, including machine learning, deep learning, and other advanced computational methods. These innovations have unlocked unprecedented opportunities for the acceleration of drug discovery and delivery, the optimization of treatment regimens, and the improvement of patient outcomes. AI is swiftly transforming the pharmaceutical industry, revolutionizing everything from drug development and discovery to personalized medicine, including target identification and validation, selection of excipients, prediction of the synthetic route, supply chain optimization, monitoring during continuous manufacturing processes, or predictive maintenance, among others. While the integration of AI promises to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve both medicines and patient health, it also raises important questions from a regulatory point of view. In this review article, we will present a comprehensive overview of AI’s applications in the pharmaceutical industry, covering areas such as drug discovery, target optimization, personalized medicine, drug safety, and more. By analyzing current research trends and case studies, we aim to shed light on AI’s transformative impact on the pharmaceutical industry and its broader implications for healthcare.

3D printing technologies enable medicine customization adapted to patients’ needs. There are several 3D printing techniques available, but majority of dosage forms and medical devices are printed using nozzle-based extrusion, laser-writing systems, and powder binder jetting. 3D printing has been demonstrated for a broad range of applications in development and targeting solid, semi-solid, and locally applied or implanted medicines. 3D-printed solid dosage forms allow the combination of one or more drugs within the same solid dosage form to improve patient compliance, facilitate deglutition, tailor the release profile, or fabricate new medicines for which no dosage form is available. Sustained-release 3D-printed implants, stents, and medical devices have been used mainly for joint replacement therapies, medical prostheses, and cardiovascular applications. Locally applied medicines, such as wound dressing, microneedles, and medicated contact lenses, have also been manufactured using 3D printing techniques. The challenge is to select the 3D printing technique most suitable for each application and the type of pharmaceutical ink that should be developed that possesses the required physicochemical and biological performance. The integration of biopharmaceuticals and nanotechnology-based drugs along with 3D printing (“nanoprinting”) brings printed personalized nanomedicines within the most innovative perspectives for the coming years. Continuous manufacturing through the use of 3D-printed microfluidic chips facilitates their translation into clinical practice.

Exosomes, naturally derived extracellular vesicles, have emerged as powerful bio-nanocarriers in precision medicine. Their endogenous origin, biocompatibility, and ability to encapsulate and deliver diverse therapeutic payloads position them as transformative tools in drug delivery, gene therapy, and regenerative medicine. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of exosome-based therapeutics across multiple biomedical domains, including cancer, neurological and infectious diseases, immune modulation, and tissue repair. Exosomes derived from stem cells, immune cells, or engineered lines can be loaded with small molecules, RNA, or CRISPR-Cas systems, offering highly specific and low-immunogenic alternatives to viral vectors or synthetic nanoparticles. We explore endogenous and exogenous loading strategies, surface functionalization techniques for targeted delivery, and innovations that allow exosomes to traverse physiological barriers such as the blood–brain barrier. Furthermore, exosomes demonstrate immunomodulatory and regenerative properties in autoimmune and degenerative conditions, with promising roles in skin rejuvenation and cosmeceuticals. Despite their potential, challenges remain in large-scale production, cargo loading efficiency, and regulatory translation. Recent clinical trials and industry efforts underscore the accelerating momentum in this field. Exosomes represent a promising platform in precision medicine, though further standardization and validation are required before widespread clinical use. This review offers critical insights into current technologies, therapeutic mechanisms, and future directions to unlock the full translational potential of exosomes in clinical practice.

Metabolic syndrome is a collection of abnormalities, including at least three of the following insulin resistance, hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, obesity, inflammation, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. 3D printed solid dosage forms have emerged as a promising tool enabling the fabrication of personalized medicines and offering solutions that cannot be achieved by industrial mass production. Most attempts found in the literature to manufacture polypills for this syndrome contain just two drugs. However, most fixed-dose combination (FDC) products in clinical practice required the use of three or more drugs. In this work, Fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printing technology coupled with Hot-melt extrusion (HME) has been successfully applied in the manufacture of polypills containing nifedipine (NFD), as an antihypertensive drug, simvastatin (SMV), as an antihyperlipidemic drug, and gliclazide (GLZ) as an antiglycemic drug. Hanssen solubility parameters (HSPs) were utilized as predictors to guide the formation of amorphous solid dispersion between drug and polymer to ensure miscibility and enhanced oral bioavailability. The HSP varied from 18.3 for NFD, 24.6 for SMV, and 7.0 for GLZ while the total solubility parameter for the excipient mixture was 27.3^0.5. This allowed the formation of an amorphous solid dispersion in SMV and GLZ 3D printed tablets compared to NFD which was partially crystalline. Popypill showed a dual release profile combining a faster SMV release (< 6 h) with a 24 h sustained release for NDF and GLZ. This work demonstrated the transformation of FDC into dynamic dose-personalized polypills.

In today’s pharmaceutical landscape, there’s an urgent need to develop new drug delivery systems that are appealing and effective in ensuring therapeutic adherence, particularly among paediatric patients. The advent of 3D printing in medicine is revolutionizing this space by enabling the creation of precise, customizable, and visually appealing dosage forms. In this study, we produced 250 mg metformin paediatric gummies based on the semi-solid extrusion (SSE) 3D printing technique. A pharmaceutical ink containing metformin was successfully formulated with optimal flow properties suitable for room-temperature printing. Using a quality by design approach, 3D printing and casting methodologies were compared. The 3D-printed gummies exhibited better firmness and sustained release at earlier times to avoid metformin release in the oral cavity and ensure palatability. The texture and physical appearance match those of gummies commercially available. In conclusion, SSE allowed for the successful manufacture of 3D-printed sugar-free gummies for the treatment of diabetes mellitus for paediatric patients and is an easily translatable approach to clinical practice.

The use of additive manufacturing or 3D printing in biomedicine has experienced fast growth in the last few years, becoming a promising tool in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing, especially in parenteral formulations and implantable drug delivery systems (IDDSs). Periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) are a common complication in arthroplasties, with a prevalence of over 4%. There is still no treatment that fully covers the need for preventing and treating biofilm formation. However, 3D printing plays a major role in the development of novel therapies for PJIs. This review will provide a deep understanding of the different approaches based on 3D-printing techniques for the current management and prophylaxis of PJIs. The two main strategies are focused on IDDSs that are loaded or coated with antimicrobials, commonly in combination with bone regeneration agents and 3D-printed orthopedic implants with modified surfaces and antimicrobial properties. The wide variety of printing methods and materials have allowed for the manufacture of IDDSs that are perfectly adjusted to patients’ physiognomy, with different drug release profiles, geometries, and inner and outer architectures, and are fully individualized, targeting specific pathogens. Although these novel treatments are demonstrating promising results, in vivo studies and clinical trials are required for their translation from the bench to the market.