Various technology research development projects are moving us toward a future where medicines, vaccines and drugs in general will no longer be administered by injections using needles. This will mean that not only will injections be less painful for the patient but it will also mean medical staff will no longer have to worry about some of the complications and safety concerns that go along with using needles as well as the problems of their disposal. Here are some of the possible technologies that will replace needles:
- The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are funding research at King's College in London on a way to administer dried live vaccine directly to the skin
- PharmaJet has created a needle-less syringe that shoots a stream of vaccine through or into a person's skin. The technology is cleared in Europe and in 101 UNICEF countries as well as five states in the US as of October, 2014.
- Prometheon has created a needle-free drug delivery system using multi-day patches that are applied to the skin. The patches have already been developed and require little refridgeration. Should be in the market by 2018.
- Researchers at MIT and the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have developed a pill coated with tiny needles that can deliver drugs directly into the lining of the digestive tract.
