Recall may sting those with insect allergies

0 Comments | La Crosse Tribune, Jun 03, 1998

A shortage of epinephrine kits resulting from recalls of EpiPen and EpiPen Jr. products may pose an increased risk to people with insect sting allergies.

A nationwide recall of the products last month has produced shortages at La Crosse pharmacies. Phil Steinhoff, a pharmacist with Franciscan Skemp Healthcare's pharmacy in La Crescent, Minn., said he hopes to get more kits before the summer season when bees and insects start invading the area.

"We order the kits every day, and our hope is we will get some in one to two weeks," Steinhoff said.

The recall affects the products distributed in the United States by Dey Laboratories between July 1997 and April 1998. Meridian Medical Technologies Inc. voluntarily recalled 47 lots of EpiPen and EpiPen Jr. because some may not provide effective doses of medication to treat acute allergic emergencies.

"It's a problem locally," said Dr. Todd Mahr, a pediatric allergist at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center "A lot of physicians can't get the kits."

Steinhoff said he notified a handful of people who received prescriptions at his pharmacy about the recall. "A big store would have had probably 25 to 50 prescriptions for kits during that period," Steinhoff said.

Mahr said he and doctors are recommending alternative methods of epinephrine self-administration until replacement EpiPen kits are available. AnaKit Auto-Injector can be used to administer epinephrine, he said.

"Many people don't use the AnaKits because it's an injectable needle, not a spring-loaded one, and many don't like to give themselves shots," Mahr said.

More than 500,000 people enter hospital emergency rooms every year suffering from insect stings, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

A severe allergic reaction, or anaphylaxis, can occur within minutes after the sting and may be life-threatening. Symptoms of an allergic reaction may include hives, itching and swelling in areas other than the sting bite; tightness in the chest and difficulty breathing; hoarse voice or swelling of the tongue; dizziness or a sharp drop in blood pressure; unconsciousness or cardiac arrest.

The majority of insect stings in the United States comes from wasps, yellow jackets, hornets and bees. Insect repellents do not work against stinging insects, which are most active during the summer and early fall, when nest populations can exceed 60,000 insects.