Implant with antidote to save from drug overdose

American engineers are developing a miniature implant that can detect an overdose of opiates and instantly inject naloxone into the blood, Naked-Science reported.

To combat this threat, the American National Institutes of Health (NIH) implements a no less ambitious HEAL initiative (Helping to End Addiction Long-term). In 2019 alone, the US government will give out about a billion dollars to solve the problem of the opioid crisis. Ten million of this amount for five years was allocated to the team of John Rogers. This is stated in a message distributed by the press service of Northwestern University.

Scientists and engineers are developing a miniature device that can track severe overdose and loss of consciousness by recording the oxygen content in the blood. According to the creators, the sensor with the size of a USB flash drive can be implanted under the skin, and antidote tanks will occupy most of its volume.

The designed device will include a wireless communication system for remote monitoring, microscopic pumps and a chemical oxygen level sensor. A sudden drop in its blood content should lead to an instant injection of a dose of naloxone, an opioid receptor antagonist, which is widely used for overdoses of appropriate drugs.

While the device is only at the first stages of development. Nevertheless, the authors are confident that for the five-year period allocated to him, its creation will be completed and it will be able to save many lives. 

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