Researchers trial microchip that administers drugs

‘Patients will be freed from having to remember to take their medication and don’t have to experience the pain of multiple injections,’ said Robert Farra, president and chief operating officer of MicroCHIPS — the Massachusetts-based company behind the device.

Farra is a co-author of the study, along with colleagues from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard Medical School, OnDemand Therapeutics and Case Western Reserve University.

Unlike most drug delivery devices, which release small amounts of drug slowly over time, the microchip is said to release medication on command from an external wireless device. This controlled system gets medicine into the bloodstream quickly, similar to an injection.

‘Physicians will be able to seamlessly adjust their patients’ therapy using a computer or cell phone,’ said Farra.

According to a statement, the authors believe the microchip may be a more appealing and possibly cheaper alternative to the long-term use of prefilled daily injection pens.

Patients with severe osteoporosis often have to give themselves daily injections of medication that requires refrigeration. Aside from the burden of daily injections, older people may have arthritis or other problems that make injections physically difficult.