Implantable drug delivery systems, such as drug pumps and polymeric drug depots, have emerged as means of providing predetermined drug release profiles at the desired site of action. While initial implants aimed at providing an enduring drug supply, developments in polymer chemistry and pharmaceutical technology and the growing need for refined drug delivery patterns have prompted the design of sophisticated drug delivery implants such as on-demand drug-eluting implants and personalized 3D printed implants. The types of cargo loaded into these implants range from small drug molecules to hormones and even therapeutic cells. This review will shed light upon recent advances in materials and composites used for polymeric implant fabrication, highlight select approaches employed in polymeric implant fabrication, feature medical applications where polymeric implants have a significant impact, and report recent advances made in these areas.
Keywords: cancer; on demand; polymeric implants; scaffold; tissue engineering.