New device injects drugs without a needle using a high-pressure jet

A new device could makes trips to the doctor’s office less painful -- especially for those who squirm at the sight of needles. Using a high-pressure jet, a new system delivers medicine through the skin without the use of a hypodermic needle. The jet-injection device can be programmed to deliver drug doses at various depths, which sets it apart from similar systems already commercially available. While other inventions, such as the patches that release nicotine, deliver drugs through the surface of the skin without needles, they are limited by the size the molecules must be to pass through the skin’s pores. The new system uses a small, powerful magnet and coil for precise delivery of drugs. The high-pressure phase has a high enough velocity to “breach” the skin, while the lower-pressure phase delivers the drug in a slower stream that can easily be absorbed by the surrounding tissue. For more about this device, check out this video.