Shortage of life-saving adrenalin jab puts allergy sufferers at risk

TENS of thousands of allergy sufferers are in danger due to a UK shortage of the lifesaving adrenalin jab Epipen.

The Daily Telegraph has learnt that Mylan, the US manufacturer, is warning pharmacists and patients in Britain that the country is the latest to be hit by global supply problems.

Epipens work by reversing the life-threatening symptoms of severe anaphylaxis – caused by shellfish, bee or nut allergies, for example – which include a drop in blood pressure and constricted airways. Anaphylaxis left untreated can progress rapidly and be fatal if a person’s heart or breathing stops.

Epipen is the best known and most widely used of three adrenalin injectors available to allergy sufferers in the UK.

Rival devices Jext and Emerade, produced by Alkabelló, a Danish firm, and US firm Bausch + Lomb respectively, have no known supply issues. ALK said it was “doing all we can to meet the increased demand” by increasing its production of Jext, but said its “relatively small market share” made it “difficult for us to make up for the overall shortfall in supply of adrenalin injections in the UK”.

Mylan said its problems had been caused by manufacturing delays at its supplier Pfizer, its fellow US pharmaceutical giant.

The problems have previously affected Epipen supply in Australia and Canada.

The global supply issues are the latest controversy to hit Mylan, which became maligned in the US for so-called “price gouging” after it jacked up the price of Epipen by 500 per cent over nine years in the country.

Mylan said it was rationing access in the UK to its Epipen for adults – which contains 0.3mg of adrenalin – to only those with a prescription and to two Epipens per prescription.

Supply of the Epipen for children, containing 0.15mg of adrenalin, has not been impacted.

Mylan said it was working with Pfizer to avoid long-term supply shortages, but said its partner “cannot commit to a specific time when the supply constraint will be fully resolved”. Anaphylaxis Campaign, a group for people with severe allergies, told The Telegraph it was monitoring the situation.

It advised people with Epipens to check the expiry date on their medication and if needed get a repeat prescription “well in advance”.

A spokesman added the group had “not experienced a volume in calls to say people are having issues getting their prescriptions fulfilled”.

But some pharmacists have taken to social media to complain about problems stocking Epipens.

Thorrun Geovind, a pharmacist based in Bolton, told The Telegraph she had struggled to track down an Epipen for someone who needed one who was going on holiday later that day.

“I called eight pharmacies before I could track one down. We shouldn’t have to do this, it’s a life-and-death situation.” She added: “People are potentially going to have to change devices.

“They operate a bit differently and that’s something they should discuss with their GP or pharmacist.”

A Pfizer spokesman said: “We understand how important this potentially life-saving product is to patients, and we are working tirelessly to increase production and expedite shipments as rapidly as possible by addressing component supply shortages and certain process changes which have temporarily constrained capacity at our manufacturing facility.”

Pfizer has not made clear exactly what caused the shortage.

People who have been prescribed an adrenalin auto-injector because of the risk of anaphylaxis are advised to have one with them at all times.