6th August 2014 | by MFC Team
Company developing high tech birth control chip
The ongoing search for the most effective and easy form of birth control may have turned an important corner.
MicroCHIPS, a United States-based company that specializes in long-term implantable drug delivery technology, is developing a new contraceptive implant. The birth control chip, measuring 20 x 20 x 7 millimeters, could be implanted under the skin of a woman’s upper arm, abdomen, or buttocks, and would dispense 30 micrograms per day of the hormone levonorgestrel to prevent a pregnancy. Unlike current intrauterine devices (IUDs), when an individual is ready to conceive, the birth control chip could be remotely turned off rather than needing to be removed, and turned on again when a woman no longer wants to become pregnant. The device could last up to 16 years before it needs to be removed.
MicroCHIPS’ technology has already been used to internally dispense other drugs on a predetermined schedule. The birth control chip development is supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Family Planning program. The company is preparing for preclinical testing in 2015, with the goal of having the birth control chip available to the public by 2018.
Read more here.
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