Patent ID: 8708978

Claim:
The article to be inserted in a human or animal body cavity having a biologically inhibiting arrangement of electrically connected electrode materials present on one or more surfaces of the article as added electrode materials other than the material of the article itself, which arrangement as electrode materials includes at least one or a plurality of metallic anode materials and an electrically conductive nonmetallic cathode materials in direct contact with each other so that when the article is inserted in the body it forms a galvanic couple in the presence of an electrolyte, wherein the arrangement of electrode materials is configured to provide a potential of the cathode material that is higher than the potential of the anode material and a value of the difference Δp between the respective potentials of the anode material (p A ) and the cathode material (p c ) that is at least 25 mV, so that the arrangement has an in vivo action which releases biological inhibiting ions of the metallic anode material or complexes of such ions when the biologically inhibiting arrangement is contacted with an electrolyte comprising a body fluid, wherein said conductive nonmetallic cathode material is selected from the group consisting of graphite, nitrides, borides, carbides, mixed nitrides, silicides, oxides having a spinel structure of the formula XY 2 O 4 wherein X is divalent Mg, Zn, Fe or Mn and Y is trivalent Al, Fe, Mn or Cr, conductive polymers and combinations of two or more thereof.