A new project is being funded by the Gates Foundation that could end the need to take a daily contraceptive pill. Instead of taking one pill a day, their project could result in you taking one pill that lasts 16 years! It seems like complete over kill for a tablet to last so long, but it’s not as simple as it sounds.
Using a single smart capsule which releases the required drug over time means you only need to take it once. The capsule can respond to a remote wireless signal from something like a dedicated hand scanner to enable, disable or alter the treatment dosage when you visit the doctors.
The project is already well underway and they hope to start preclinical testing in 2015, with a goal of reaching the market in 2018.
Obviously there are hacking concerns and other issues with carrying a 16 year dose of a powerful hormone in your system, so a lot of things have to be done right before this becomes commercially viable, but it’s an interesting approach that could pave the way for some radical changes in medicine.
Thank you The Verge for providing us with this information.
Image courtesy of The Verge.
