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.

Background/Objectives: The formulation of microspheres for lipophilic drugs using aqueous methods, such as spray drying, faces significant challenges. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the process parameters and polymer selection on the production of microspheres by spray drying for a lipophilic drug. Methods: Lipophilic drug-loaded microspheres were developed using various polymers via the aqueous spray drying method. The effects of the factors on the yield percentage and encapsulation efficiency were analyzed. Microspheres preparation included Agave inulin, guar gum, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and Eudragit^® S100. A 2³ factorial design was performed, and the parameters were optimized. Results: Inlet temperature, feed flow, and polymer percentage showed a significant effect (p < 0.05) on the yield percentage of guar gum microspheres and encapsulation efficiency of the inulin microspheres. Inulin and guar gum microspheres showed the best yield percentage (75.41%) and encapsulation efficiency (100%), respectively. In addition, guar gum microspheres had the best morphology, and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose microspheres were smaller and had an irregular surface. Eudragit did not maintain its delayed release property due to limitations of the aqueous method; inulin released the drug immediately, and guar gum and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose microspheres prolonged release only by a few additional hours. Conclusions: The experimental design showed that optimizing the parameters (inlet temperature, feed flow, and the type and percentage of polymer) can regulate the microsphere development process to obtain improved product yield and encapsulation efficiency results.