There has been a change in the legislation where schools may now administer their “spare” adrenaline auto-injector (AAI), obtained, without prescription, for use in emergencies, if available, but only to a pupil at risk of anaphylaxis, where both medical authorisation and written parental consent for the use of the spare AAI has been provided.AAIs can be used through clothes and should be injected into the upper outer thigh in line with the instructions provided by the manufacturer.
See original document here Changes to timing instructions on the administration of EpiPen® and EpiPen® Junior adrenaline auto-injectors
The Anaphylaxis Campaign (www.anaphylaxis.org.uk ) have reported that Mylan UK has recently received an approval for a variation to the administration of EpiPen® and EpiPen® Junior adrenaline auto-injectors.There is no change to the device or the drug (adrenaline); the change is in the instructions for use as outlined below:
- Reduced injection time from 10 to 3 seconds – this is based on research confirming delivery of adrenaline for 3 seconds is sufficient.
- Removal of the massage step after the injection – this step has been removed to simplify the process of administering EpiPen® or EpiPen® Junior.The changes are aimed to improve patient compliance.It is important to remember that, the effectiveness of the EpiPen® and EpiPen® Junior will not be impacted regardless of whether it is held for 3 or 10 seconds.
We expect EpiPen® and EpiPen® Junior with the 3 second label to enter pharmacies in the UK from November 2017 onwards. There may still be some EpiPen® and EpiPen® Junior with the 10 second label available on the market.
