Microchips is a company that makes devices that are implanted in a patients body. The device contain a combination of drugs, chemicals and sensors. In the body the devices release the drugs. The devices can be controlled actively, by preprogrammed microprocessors, wireless telemetry, or sensor feedback loops or  can be passive with layers or other combinations of controlled release including polymeric matrices controlling the drugs. Some devices are placed just under the skin.

Other devices are orthopedic.

This concept is  a huge step forward for chronic disintegrative disease suffers, the problems of old age or mental illness and less invasive ways of treating sickness. It means either the body (through the sensors) or doctors acting remotely (telemetry) can help regulate drug delivery to patients as needed.

First Asia,(Vietnam, Indonesia, China, Thailand) then Russia, next was Turkey, Romania, Greece, now the worry is East Africa. H5N1 is spreading uniquely fast. As the birds keep traveling and migrating the virus is found in new areas amongst fowl, ducks chickens. Next will be Australia, Western Europe, perhaps the US Mainland. But its the birds we don't find or aren't reported that are the worry.

The race is on to develop a vaccine, and more importantly a co-ordinated public health and population strategy, across the globe before the virus mutation that will allow human to human contact.

Individual countries around the world are significantly better organized today than three months ago. But overall we are still a long way from satisfactory postion to face the threat.

Bird flu is the rage. What about ordinary flu? Last year there weren't enough doses of the flu vaccine in the US. Chiron blew it. This year Chiron appear to have different production problems. Still not enough vaccine. But why is it that every year there's an issue?

Surely, there's a known problem with a deadly virus that strikes the elderly and chronically sick mainly, but still hits the rest of the population severely. Surely it would make sense to take a macro approach and suggest, as a public health issue, that everyone over a certain age has a vaccine. And surely that would pay for itself in lower mortality rates, less absenteeism and higher productivity across the US economy?

If nothing else, and if Government see no role for themselves in leading this issue, smart organizations (Businesses, colleges, hospitals, etc) should be getting everyone vaccinated. Flu is a high probability, high impact, predictable winter event. Vaccination is just a smart thing to do.

Customized drugs are here. A pharmacy in Illinois makes drugs that the majors don't. They point the way forward for the tailoring of medicine to consumer needs and wants. Today, major drug company business models pursue the most lucrative new find. Especially something that can enjoy the protection of a patent, ie has high price protection.. That means inevitably sales are about mass; market, marketing, returns. Costs have been high to tool up, and then selling new formulations to the mass. So drug companies want new blockbusters to supercharge profits. New drugs  cost a lot. Worse, the number of formulations on sale are  restricted given the size of the market to funnel consumers to the mass approach.

OK so now they're starting to segment and trial. Pocket size throat sprays. Thin strips that melt in your mouth.Suppress. Theraflu. All efforts to reach consumers differently. To sell  more product. 

But what major drug companies haven't done is release commercially unused research to the general market, even though it may be an effective treatment for a small target market of consumers. Then, periodically, companies just pull  drugs off the market, despite effectiveness. Too little profit. Some drug ingredients and drugs just work better for some people than others. But they may not be available. And for whatever reason,  drugs may be available here, (the US) but not there (Canada). Or vice versa. Drugs are not a consumer focused business, despite what the companies say.

Now new business models are on the verge of overcoming the entrenched value of the distribution networks and big capital backing of the majors. A new business model for drugs links widely distributed and peer reviewed information, blogs;  internet distribution;  and groups of compounding pharmacists or small production run drug companies.  It's a new network that battles bigness and major's entrenchment. So each distribution and production element is necessary. And each was previously unavailable. Together they redress the balance towards consumers.

And, bring the shakeout value of competition into a now closed and sclerotic industry always erecting barriers to serve institutional profit over individual health.

Traditional medicine relies on peer reviewed journals to announce medical breakthroughs or developments. Blogs now challenge that model. MedRounds is  a new for profit company started by a doctor. A standard design has been mashed together for a group of 7 medical blogs (written on Blogger) all about eyes. The information is literally last minute stuff. 

July, a specialist called Rosenfeld, presents a single case of a drug where change in use helps fix macular degeneration.  By October, the eye world is buzzing. The Age Related Macular Degeneration Blog is running lengthy technical articles about Avastin treatment, amongst all the other good stuff on how to treat patients with macular  problems. The blogger is a noted ophthalmologic professor at the University of Iowa.

It's the speed that blogs can put information together and into circulation that will trump more traditional scientific models. Blogs give the consumer, public access to the same material doctors use to update themselves.

Medicine is well suited to blogging. Doctors like to circulate stories of what works and what doesn't. Doctors (and patients) like to read about real life examples. Peer reviewing and ethical issues remain important, as they do in every other area, but once solved, blogs speed and immediacy will inject new vitality into medical discovery and knowledge.

A personal electronic health record is the nirvana for cost savers and better medicine advocates. One button access to previous health decisions and problems? Perfect. Republican Congressman Jon Porter wants the Federal Government to mandate this for its own employees. 4 million bureaucrats would be given credit card size electronic records within five years. It's a start to healthcare's needed shakeup.