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HP's Inkjet Technology Used to Administer Drugs

Posted by samzenpus on from the slap-on-a-stim-patch dept.

jedrick conner writes "Hewlett-Packard's microneedle technology, used in its inkjet cartridges, could soon be used in transdermal patches to deliver a time-controlled release of drugs to patients. Still at the prototype stage, the patch will likely be 25 mm square in size and 3 mm thick. It will incorporate an array of microneedles that are between 75 and 100 microns, which will penetrate the top dry layer of the skin, also known as the stratum corneum. Above the microneedles is an array of wells, [and] those wells can hold one or more drugs, the device has "an active mechanism to push the drug through the needle"."

7 of 113 comments (clear)

  1. Can't wait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Can't wait till we see the black-market "refill kits" for these.

    It's... getting... sooohoho... coooold.

  2. Toner Refills by sweatyboatman · · Score: 5, Funny

    The printer comes free with your doctor's prescription. But it only comes with enough ink for one patch and refills are $1000.

    --
    It breaks my pluginses, my precious!
  3. Damn! Out of Yellow! by kbob88 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I was doing fine until my anti-psychotic medicine ran out of yellow!

    1. Re:Damn! Out of Yellow! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      I was doing fine until my anti-psychotic medicine ran out of yellow!


      You're lucky. My anti-depressant patch is out of everything except blue.
  4. Drugs will be cheaper than ink... by topham · · Score: 3, Funny

    The drugs will be cheaper than ink, therefor there isn't enough of a market in it for HP.

  5. Obligatory ST:TOS reference by MobyDisk · · Score: 4, Funny

    Damn it Jim! I'm a doctor, not a printer!

  6. Transdermal drugs... by JRHelgeson · · Score: 4, Funny

    I think my wife is on Microsoft Birth Control, because every week she has to apply a new patch.

    --
    Good security is based upon reality and common sense. Common sense is a function of having common knowledge.