FDA Approves Implantable Chip Used to Access Medical Records

OCTOBER, 2004!!!

Oct. 25, 2004 -- On Oct. 13, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the VeriChip, a computer chip implanted subcutaneously to facilitate medical record access. Advocates of the chip, produced and marketed by Applied Digital Solutions Inc. (ADS) in Delray Beach, Florida, believe it will improve rapid access to vital medical information on unconscious or uncommunicative patients, but some privacy experts have voiced confidentiality concerns.

The VeriChip, which is about the size of a pen point, is implanted in the subcutaneous tissue in the triceps area, where it is invisible to the naked eye. Using the FDA-approved inserter, "chipping" under local anesthesia is painless and only takes a few minutes.

[link to www.medscape.com]