New system would let you take a drug by just pressing your skin

This looks like it could have most of the advantages of a drug pump at a fraction of the cost. It could let a patient use injectable drugs without the patient having to use a needle. It may take some time to develop it for long term use but it looks like a great system for short term use.

SOURCE

An implantable gel material that can release drugs in response to pressure applied by a patient has been developed by researchers at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) in Japan.

Oral administration of drugs may be difficult for patients experiencing nausea during cancer chemotherapy, for diabetics (to release insulin), and for other conditions.

The idea is for this controlled-release system is for a doctor to insert a gel material drug under the skin, allowing the drug to be released by simply pressing or rubbing the area.

So you lean up against a chair and get an instant drug overdose. You move around in your sleep, put your head on your arm and get a drug overdose.

Perhaps as you said, they have a looong way to go.

P

Phoenix beat me to it seems, but, if it malfunctions it could prove disastrous for the patient.

I think most people would be wary of it. I know I would be.

Good catch people...

That thought crossed my mind too. But I think they would have some way to position the drug so that doesn't happen. or maybe some self limiting feature that would not allow an overdose. Being a new technology and the first time I have seen it there could be a lot of information on how it works yet to be released.

Don't they already use this for birth control?

Not like it works anyway.

People are still procreating while on it.

Originally posted by Manhater
Don't they already use this for birth control?

Not like it works anyway.

People are still procreating while on it.

Not really, the birth control implant is a slow release system and the new implant is an on demand system. With the birth control implant you cannot do anything to speed up the release of the drug.