The treatment for a serious allergic reaction is adrenaline (also known as epinephrine). Because this must be administered without delay, patients known to be at risk often carry their own adrenaline injection kits for use in an emergency.
The injection many doctors prescribe is the EpiPen, an easy-to-use device with a concealed needle. The EpiPen is available on prescription and distributed by ALK -Abelló, 2 Tealgate, Hungerford, Berkshire RG17 0YT. Tel 01488 686016.
A relatively new adrenaline injection kit called the Anapen, is also available on prescription. It is manufactured and distributed by Celltech Pharmaceuticals Ltd, 208 Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire SL1 3WE. Tel 01753 447690.
Both companies provide trainer pens for practice purposes.
For information on how to administer the EpiPen, visit the EpiPen website at www.epipen.co.uk.
December 2004: New instructions for administering the EpiPen
have been approved by the Government’s Medicines and Healthcare products
Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
The original instructions provided on the label tell the user to remove the grey
safety cap, place the black tip against the thigh and press hard until the auto-injector
mechanism functions.
The new instructions tell the user to remove the grey safety cap and then "jab
firmly" into the muscle in the thigh. After the EpiPen fires, the injector
is then held against the thigh for ten seconds. The way the EpiPen is held –
in the fist – does not change.
The manufacturers this new method is easier to learn and remember, and there is
also less chance of anyone failing to exert enough pressure.
There will be a period of time during which there is an overlap. This is because
the EpiPen has a "shelf life" of up to two years and for some time there
are bound to be EpiPens in circulation that carry the old instructions, as well
as those carrying the new instructions.
If you have an EpiPen bearing the old instructions, we advise you to continue
to follow these instructions for now – unless otherwise directed by your
GP or consultant. This is still, and always was, a perfectly effective and safe
way of administering the EpiPen.
If you have two EpiPens – one carrying the old instructions and the other
the new – stick with the method you are accustomed to using until your training
can be updated.
If your child carries an EpiPen with the old instructions, and another child at
school has one with the new instructions, advise the school to follow the management
plan for each specific individual child. Don’t get too concerned about this.
Both methods of administering the injection are safe and effective.
Our revised training video, "Action for Anaphylaxis", shows a demonstration of the new jab method. But we advise you to contact your local surgery or your allergy consultant and discuss getting some hands-on training. Buy a trainer pen from ALK-Abello and practice regularly (tel: 01488 686016). To buy our video call: 01252 373793.
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