Company With Checkered Past Tries To Claim Patent On Cell Phone Buttons

Does Your Cell Phone Plan Come With Unlimited Drug Delivery?

from the dialing-it-in dept

Fri, Apr 6th 2007 2:31am — Joseph Weisenthal

The concept of telemedicine, allowing doctors to offer their services from a distance, has been hyped up for some time, although it has yet to take off in a big way. Now a team of European and Israeli scientists are experimenting with a more direct way of using modern communications technology to deliver medicine: using a cell phone to control a drug-dispensing tooth that can be implanted in a patient's mouth. The invention is aimed at patients who either forget to take their medicine, or just don't like to. Instead, the medicine will already be stored in their mouth, and will be emitted at a regular interval on command from their handsets. Presumably, it could also be used to deliver a drug like morphine, which the patient controls, but is limited in terms of how often it can be taken. Of course, once these start being implanted in patients, you can only imagine the type of conspiracy theories that will arise having to do with pernicious plots between the government, handset makers and dentists to dope us all with mind-altering elixirs.

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13 Comments

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Infested Templar, 6 Apr 2007 @ 3:21am

Just wait till this story get's linked with the FUD about mobile phone viruses.
Still it wouldn't all be overreaction, the security on each end of this system would have to be extreme, especially if it is used for dangerous drugs like morphine. Just imagine if someone could intercept the signal from the phone to the tooth and crack the encryption (it is encrypted right?) and send alternative instructions. And if they used generic software (eg windows) on the machine that sent the scripts and it got a virus, even one not specifically targeting the dispensing system?

This does seem to have some potential it's just that security problems in critical areas seem all to common, and medical errors in this situation could be hard to detect and rectify so precautions need to be a big part of this system.
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- Prophet, 6 Apr 2007 @ 3:34am
  
  Drug delivery
  No it doesnt but i get the damn text messages for viagra on my cell phone all the damn time. and it is just sent to a block of numbers close to mine.
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moe, 6 Apr 2007 @ 4:40am

Can you hear me now?
So, what happens when you lose the cellular signal?
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- Ryuichi, 6 Apr 2007 @ 4:47am
  
  Re: Can you hear me now?
  Free drugs, duh?
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- JS Beckerist, 6 Apr 2007 @ 9:50am
  
  Re: Can you hear me now?
  @moe: If it's morphine in your tooth, you feel reeeeeeeeeeeally good. :-)
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Nasty Old Geezer, 6 Apr 2007 @ 4:45am

We have met the Borg
and they are us. No f-ing way does one of those ever go in my body.
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csin, 6 Apr 2007 @ 5:45am

hahaha
This thing is rediculous... how much medicine could a tooth possibly hold? You couldnt fit enough of most meds in there to do anything.

How long till they have viagra dispensing teeth? Want wood? just use your cell phone...lol.
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- How long, 6 Apr 2007 @ 6:08am
  
  Re: hahaha
  How long untill a hacker figures out the RFID or what ever signal and makes someone's medicine dispense at lets say in opportune times or quantities.
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Overcast, 6 Apr 2007 @ 6:21am

Yes - and soon, the government will control the wonder tooth, and you won't have to worry about a thing at all!!

You know - it's bound to happen at least for some they deem 'unable' to care for themselves. Or because 'it's better for society this way'.

Yes, of course flames will mock me. But then, remember - the Social Security number is never to be used for purposes of identification. And if you trust the government, I can rest in the knowledge that you have far more problems than me anyhow - and that tooth might actually benefit you...
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Spork, 6 Apr 2007 @ 7:22am

Forgetful Girlfrieds...
I don't know....despite using precations myself, I had a girlfriend that was constantly forgetting and I had to remind to take her birth control. It would've been handy to be able to phone it in - LOL
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Shirley, 6 Apr 2007 @ 7:59am

Drugs in Cellphones
What were you on! when you wrote this ! Get Real !
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Ken Mason, 6 Apr 2007 @ 9:21am

You've got to be kiddin'
Ok, first of all if this thing was designed for "forgetful" patients, then exacty how much medicine does this thing hold? I mean at sometime it has to be refilled, I can only imagine that this is not a very big item as it's something that's placed in your mouth. Second of all if it's for someone that's taking life-saving medication and they're "forgetful" then they need to be hospitalized. But then again if I was prescribed a life-saving medicine I would be sure not to forget, it's just that simple.
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John Fenley, 9 Apr 2007 @ 3:05pm

Simpler method...
Phone: Ring Ring
Me: Hello?
Doctor: Take your medicine.
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