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Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2004

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  Delray Beach, Fla.-based Applied Digital Solutions in July asked the FDA for approval to use the implantable chip for medical uses in the United States. The agency had 60 days to reply to the "de novo" application.

It's the first time the FDA has approved the use of the device, though in Mexico, more than 1,000 scannable chips have been implanted in patients. The chip's serial number pulls up the patients' blood type and other medical information.

With the pinch of a syringe, the microchip is inserted under the skin in a procedure that takes less than 20 minutes and leaves no stitches.

Silently and invisibly, the dormant chip stores a code, similar to the identifying UPC code on products sold in retail stores, that releases patient-specific information when a scanner passes over the chip.

At the doctor's office those codes stamped onto chips, once scanned, would reveal such information as a patient's allergies and prior treatments.

The FDA in October 2002 said that the agency would regulate health care applications possible through VeriChip. Meanwhile, the chip has been used for a number of security tasks as well as for whimsy: Club hoppers in Barcelona, Spain, use the microchip much like a smartcard to speed drink orders and payment.

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