The Anaphylaxis Campaign amongst others has been campaigning for some years for those at risk of anaphylaxis to carry two rather than just one adrenaline auto injector pens to use in case of an attack. Their reasoning is that one may not be enough because of the severity of the attack, the speed of action of the drug in the body, the possible delay in emergency services reaching the patient etc. Their view had been widely accepted so there was much shock and horror last year when the BSACI, one of the lead allergy bodies, actually disagreed and advised only prescribing one. (See this blog last September.)
However, the BSACI have now been put to flight not only by the Medicines Control Agency (MHRA) in the UK but by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) who have just released new guidelines recommending that two pens should always be prescribed. You can see their full advice here but the nub of it is that:
- Patients should always be prescribed with two pens which they should carry at all times
- That patients and carers should be trained in the use of their chosen pen
- That patients and carers should be encouraged to practice with trainer pens
They also make the following pertinent comments:
- due to uncertainties about the site of drug delivery and the speed of adrenaline action within the body, it is recommended that healthcare professionals prescribe 2 auto-injectors, which patients should carry at all times
- the needle length of the device is now stated in the product information because this may be an important factor for the prescriber to consider when choosing a suitable auto-injector
- the training of patients and their carers in the correct use of the product is important and manufacturers were required to update their educational materials – see table below
- manufacturers should carry out studies in humans to more fully understand when and how much adrenaline reaches the blood stream, and how quickly and effectively it acts on body tissues when given through an auto-injector
Progress indeed – and congratulations to the AC, Angela Waters who ran a campaign on Change.org and everyone else who has been battling for the cause.
Lets not get ahead of ourselves. Firstly the EMA & MHRA ALWAYS supported two AAI since 2014 & 2015 that im aware of. If you look at @campaign42AAI petition it mentions this.
Yes they revised guidelines last week and yes they as far as I know have been sent to GP’s & pharmacy but this no way means problems with BSACI guidelines are resolved.
BSACI guidelines from the accounts we have are impacting newly diagnosed patients more than current partients, patients that know no other alternative.
Our campaign recieves weekly reports on the petition and in message telling us of their experiences. Im sure the charities do too. We assist where we can and refer them to Allergy UK if we can’t as they have been a lot more vocal and consistent in their support and they actually communicate with the campaign unlike Anaphylaxis Campaign.
#alwayscarrytwo social media campaign is growing and we have international support. The petition has grown steadily and we are just short of 50,000 supporters agsinst BSACI guidelines.
Please please dont take this latest development as meaning peoplesv problems obtaining prescriptions have changed, far ftom it many are reporting 0 to 1 AAI even young children with previous asthma.
Regards, Angela
Campaign42AAI
We must continue to campaign #alwayscarrytwo