Anaphylaxis is a potentially life threatening, severe allergic reaction. It should always be treated as a medical emergency, requiring immediate treatment with adrenaline (epinephrine).
Australians prescribed EpiPen® or EpiPen® Jr are probably aware of changes made to administration of the EpiPen® autoinjector in the USA in 2016. Now that the USA manufacturer, Mylan, has permission from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to make the changes in Australia advice on administration of the EpiPen® has also changed in Australia.
The devices have not changed, just the instructions on the label, which now include:
Reduced injection time from 10 to 3 seconds – this is based on research confirming delivery of adrenaline through the 3 second delivery time.
Removal of the massage step after the injection – this has been found to reduce the risk of irritation at the injection site.
EpiPen® and EpiPen® Jr adrenaline (epinephrine) autoinjectors with the 3 second label will start to enter pharmacies in Australia from today (13 June 2017) onwards.
