Skin Patches Reduce Need for the Doctor's Needle

Skin patches to treat motion sickness are not a new idea, nor are skin patches as a method of nicotine delivery for those trying to quit smoking or some other tobacco related addiction. People on hormone replacement therapy sometimes use them, but perhaps the newest use of skin patches is for the delivery of medication traditionally delivered by needles.

While the use of skin patches as a medication delivery system idea will not eliminate the need for needles, those who suffer from a fear of things being poked into their body, the new skin patches will provide doctors and other health care professionals with an alternate way of delivering vaccines and other forms of medication. The new technology for the skin patch form of medication delivery is not some big pharmaceutical company like Merck. No, instead most consumers have probably purchased a product of theirs for their computer, digital camera or printer. Hewlett Packard modified the technology it uses in its ink jet cartridges to develop the new technology that will reduce the need for needles.

While skin patches are already used for a variety of other patches, one of the problems with using them for delivering medication is that the human epidermis (the outer layer of skin) acts as an effective barrier and prevents most chemicals from being absorbed. Hewlett Packard expended on already existing technology developed by the University of California in 2005. The device called a microjet works by sending a small plunger in the patch sends a jolt of electricity which causes the medication in the skin patch to be delivered at high velocity and get past the barrier the skin provides.

For those who worry that Hewlett Packard might be branching out into the medical field, it is not time for alarm just yet. The computer company leased the microjet skin patch technology to Cropson. Cropson is an Irish firm that specializes in developing medical devices.

Now if they can just come up with technology that does not require doctors or other medical professionals to poke, prod, or probe people with various otrher sharp devices, it would be a boon to doctors and patients alike . At least with the new skin patches, it seems that doctors will have less of an excuse to poke sharp objects into people. Now if they can just come up a way to make foods that are healthy for you taste good that does not involve marketing inferior tasting products as such or if it means that Hewlett Packard will be able to lower the price of their inkjet cartridges.

Sources:

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/09/11/hp-patch.html