Yahoo Finance Supply crunch deepens for vital allergy drug Epipen
The UK’s Epipen shortage has deepened after US drug giant Mylan began rationing access to the vital medicine.
In an update published last week, Mylan said manufacturing problems were now restricting the supply of its Epipen Junior product containing 0.15mg of adrenalin. Previously, shortages had only impacted the 0.3mg version for adults.
Epipens work by reversing the life-threatening symptoms of severe anaphylaxis – caused by shellfish, bee or nut allergies – which if left untreated can progress rapidly and be fatal if a person’s heart or breathing stops.
Manufacturing problems at Mylan’s supplier, fellow US drug maker Pfizer, have led to global shortages of the jabs and restricted supply in the UK throughout this year, with no end in sight.
Mylan said pharmacies can only order a maximum of two Epipens per prescription at a time. It warned that Pfizer’s ongoing problems meant it “may not always be available for pharmacies to order”.
Earlier this summer, Mylan began distributing an emergency stock of Epipens with a short expiry date of only this October to try to help meet demand. They usually have an 18-month valid period.
The Anaphylaxis Campaign said the ongoing shortages were “frustrating and worrying”. It advised people to check the expiry date and if needed get a repeat prescription “well in advance”.
Angela McNeilage, 57, from near Tunbridge Wells, told The Sunday Telegraph her three sons aged 20, 24 and 26 with life-threatening allergies had all struggled to obtain Epipens in recent months. “Lives are being put at risk,” she said.
The Department of Health said it had stepped in to manage the limited supply. It advised patients who were unable to obtain Epipens to “speak to their doctor about using an alternative”.
