EpiPen shortage resulting from Allerject recall
Posted October 29, 2015 1:08 pm.
Last Updated October 29, 2015 7:01 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A CityNews investigation has found that there is a shortage of EpiPens at Toronto-area pharmacies as a result of a recall for Allerject.
A recall notice was issued Wednesday for every single Allerject product in Canada and the U.S. is being recalled by the drugmaker Sanofi-aventis Canada Inc. because the products may not deliver the correct dosage of epinephrine.
EpiPens are pre-filled devices that administer epinephrine.
Pfizer, who manufactures EpiPens, said they are working to meet the increased Canadian demand for the EpiPens.
“This is an unexpected and exceptional situation,” Pfizer Canada spokesperson Manon Genin said.
“As we try to meet this increased demand, Pfizer expects to have short periods of constrained supply over the next few weeks as incremental inventory is shipped from our site.”
“If a patient who is experiencing a serious allergic reaction (i.e. anaphylaxis) did not receive the intended dose, there could be significant health consequences, including death because anaphylaxis is a potentially life-threatening condition,” Sanofi-aventis said in a statement.
Allerject is used as an emergency treatment by patients who are at risk or have a history of serious allergic reaction.
The recall comes after Sanofi in Canada and the U.S. received 26 reports of suspected device malfunction from an estimated 2,784,000 units distributed in North America.
People who have the product are being asked to return the product to their local pharmacy immediately and obtain an alternate epinephrine auto-injector, Health Canada said.
In the event of a life-threatening allergic reaction before the person can obtain a replacement auto injector, they should use the Allerject device as directed and then seek emergency medical attention.
