EpiPen shortage sparks consumer fears
Pfizer has sixth shortfall of life-saving medicine in less than two years
Pauline Osena knows how crucial it is to have EpiPens close at hand for her two young sons, who are at risk of life-threatening anaphylaxis because of multiple food allergies.
So it’s no surprise that the latest shortage of the emergency rescue medication — an autoinjectable device that delivers a shot of symptom-relieving epinephrine — has her worried.
“It’s something I’m really concerned about,” said Osena, referring to the recent notice from the drug’s manufacturer that there’s a shortfall in inventory of EpiPen and EpiPen Jr.
“We’ve had to use EpiPens multiple times,” said the Toronto mother of three, whose 4-year-old daughter is free of allergies. “Both of my sons have gone into anaphylaxis, a few times.”
Six-year-old Lucien is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, eggs, wheat and chicken. Xavier, 2, can’t tolerate fish, peanuts or eggs.
In the most recent incident, Lucien had an unusually delayed allergic reaction to wheat a couple of hours after having had a scheduled food-challenge test at his allergist’s office and “ended up kind of gasping for air and not being able to breathe,” Osena said. “He Epied himself.” An inability to breathe is one of the hallmarks of anaphylaxis, along with swelling of the lips, tongue and throat. Symptoms can include hives, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain.
Pfizer, the drug company that produces the EpiPen, announced last week with Health Canada that there was limited inventory of both the adult 0.30-mg device and the children’s 0.15-mg epinephrine auto-injectors, and availability of the medications was being “managed nationally.”
The notice marked the sixth time since the beginning of 2017 that there’s been a shortfall in supply of EpiPens — the only emergency medication for anaphylaxis in Canada’s market.
Osena said she already ran into trouble trying to fill the boys’ prescription: each of her sons carries one at all times and she keeps one in her purse.
An estimated 2.6 million Canadians have allergies to foods, as well as such triggers as medications, latex and insect bites, though it’s not known how many pack an EpiPen.
Beatrice Povolo, a spokesperson for Food Allergy Canada, said Pfizer has not been able to predict an endpoint for the short supply of EpiPens, and that has members of the allergy community worried as they head into peak season for summer travel, summer camps and potentially even back to school.
“I think really that seems to be the primary concern, the timing and the impact it will have on individuals and families,” she said.
Pfizer Canada spokesperson Christina Antoniou said it’s not unusual to have short periods of reduced supply of the auto-injector.
“There’s a relatively short shelf-life on it of12 to18 months, so between the relatively short shelf-life and managing the inventory supply, it’s quite normal for us to experience periods of limited supply,” she said.
If consumers have difficulty filling a prescription, Pfizer advises they try another pharmacy or have their pharmacist contact Pfizer directly.
“The shortage doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s nothing,” Antoniou said. “It just means that there’s less than there normally would be.”
“We’re kind of at the mercy of one company and it’s a life-or-death situation in some cases.” PAULINE OSENA MOTHER OF THREE