For patients who require daily injections – or forget to take their regular prescriptions – a new microchip prescription drug delivery system may be the solution to compliance. Developed by MIT researchers, this microchip has just completed and passed its first human test.
The chip is implanted underneath the skin and contains tiny reservoirs of drugs that are released into the bloodstream. According to its developers, this automated option for prescription drug regimen could go a long way toward improving patient compliance.
The microchip system would also have other benefits: a biosensor-equipped chip would help doctors monitor the drug’s effectiveness, and eventually make remote adjustments to dosage and delivery. After successful testing with an osteoporosis drug, the MIT researchers are now further developing the chip to treat other diseases and will seek regulatory approval for the microchip delivery system in 2014.
(Image and Story via Forbes; Image Credit M. Scott Brauer)
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