Skin implant replaces Pill (and lasts 16 years)

SCIENTISTS have developed an electronic chip that when slipped under the skin releases daily doses of contraceptive, freeing a woman from the need to take the Pill.

Once in place, the postage stamp-sized device works for up to 16 years. By contrast, the contraceptive implants already on the market only last for up to five years.

Existing devices also have to be removed – a process that can be painful. But the chip comes with a remote control that simply turns it off if a woman decides to try for a family. When she needs contraception again, she can turn it back on just as easily.

US manufacturer MicroCHIPS hopes to get the device on sale by 2018. It is not known how much it will cost, but implants already in use tend to cost around £80.

The new chip can be implanted just below the skin on the buttocks, upper arm or stomach. This could be done in a 30-minute oper- ation at a GP’s surgery. It contains a series of tiny wells, each packed with a daily dose of levonorgestrel, a hormone widely used in existing contraceptives.

At a pre-programmed release time, a small electrical current melts an ultra-thin seal covering a single well, releasing the contraceptive into the bloodstream. The remote control can be used to override the programme when needed.

However much work remains to be done. It will have to be proved to be an effective con- traceptive and, crucially, the company must find a way of stopping hackers from taking control of the chip – a problem that has been raised by experts.

Professor Charles Kingsland, of the Hewitt Fertility Centre at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, described the technology as ‘interesting but a bit Big Brother’.

He added: ‘This new device has the ability to be switched on and off remotely. One concern to me would therefore be who does the switching on and off.’