If you dread the mere thought of a doctor's needle, it's a development you'll find reassuring. For scientists have come up with a skin patch which can inject drugs into the body without pain.

Instead of a single jab, the patch contains dozens of tiny syringes, which inject above the skin's pain receptors, cutting out discomfort.

Experts believe the device could be used to administer the daily insulin dose to those with diabetes or replace asthma inhalers. In future, it could be used to give patients different drugs at different times of day.

The patch is based on inkjet printer cartridges from computer manufacturer Hewlett Packard. Scientists discovered that the tiny nozzles used inside cartridges to spray ink on to a page could be reengineered to deliver drug doses.

Source: This Is London
Tags: Skin Patch | Injection | Medicine

Posted by Spluch on 19 September, 2007 at 21:38 | Permalink |