Imagine a contraceptive that will last for 16 years. If this has no side effects, I guess it would be an instant hit. It beats taking the pill.
Well a US start-up backed by Gates Foundation has come up with a new contraceptive that lasts for 16 years. This wireless, remote-controlled chip is implantable and can be turned on and off remotely. This makes it very convenient for women to deactivate without going to a clinic.
The new birth control drug delivery system developed by Massachusetts-based MicroCHIPS will begin pre-clinical testing in 2015 and if successful, it will be on the market by 2018.
According to an Extremetech report,
The implanted device, developed by the rather unimaginatively named Microchips in Lexington, is 20mm (0.8in) square and 7mm thick. Contained within the device is a microchip (thus the company’s amazing name) that contains a series of drug reservoirs. This is where the magic occurs: Each reservoir is gated by a special titanium and platinum seal that temporarily melts when an electric current is applied, allowing the drug to seep out. Apparently the reservoirs are large enough to carry a 16-year supply of the hormonal contraceptive levonorgestrel.
“The idea of using a thin membrane like an electric fuse was the most challenging and the most creative problem we had to solve,” MicroCHIPS president Robert Farra said. In case a woman wishes to conceive, she can simply turn off the implant with a remote control; another click of the remote restarts it, the report said. After 16 years, the implant could be removed.
