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Currently viewing the tag: "auto-injector"
Once again, a child’s death caused by anaphylaxis is receiving attention in the media, this time in the UK. The loss is yet another in a long line of horrific, preventable tragedies, but there are lessons to be learned from the details of the child’s exposure and the subsequent attempts at first aid.
Connor Donaldson, a 12 year-old boy from Greater Manchester with severe asthma and a severe peanut allergy, died October 19, 2013 after ingesting a few bites of curry the family had taken out from a nearby restaurant.
His mother had discussed the allergy with a staff member of the restaurant over the phone prior to ordering. She was assured that their dishes would contain no peanuts.
The food allergy community was abuzz last week with the news that Mary Baxley, a paraprofessional at Holiday Hill Elementary School in Jacksonville, Florida, received a 10-day suspension for bringing peanut butter cookies to celebrate a student’s birthday in a peanut-free classroom. But what should parents of children with food allergies learn from the incident?
Yesterday, New Jersey’s stock epinephrine bill, designated A2734, passed the Assembly by a vote of 73-0 with 6 abstentions. The bill was subsequently sent to the Senate (where it is designated S2109) and referred to the Senate Education Committee.
New Jersey has already enacted legislation that provides for the storage and administration of prescribed epinephrine to children with diagnosed allergies. This bill would extend those provisions to:
- Mandate epinephrine auto-injectors be stocked at all NJ schools, public and private, for use with any child suspected to be suffering anaphylaxis;
- Train individuals in addition to the school nurse to administer epinephrine;
- Extend immunity from liability beyond school employees acting in good faith to the physicians that prescribe stock epinephrine to schools.
There is another option that was not explicitly mentioned in the article by FARE that might help defray much of the consumer cost for epinephrine auto-injectors.
In addition to the $0 copay offers from the brand name auto-injector manufacturers, there is a similar $0 copay program for the generic version of the Adrenaclick© auto-injector manufactured by Lineage Therapeutics. As this is a generic auto-injector, the initial cost of the product may be less than the brand name options, and if you have prescription coverage, your co-pay may be lower/reimbursement rate higher. Combined with the $0 Co-pay offer, this may prove to be a more cost-effective solution for your family.
We know that renewing prescriptions for auto-injectors can be a costly venture especially if you have minimal or no prescription coverage. The good news is that pharmaceutical companies are providing incentives to help consumers afford their products.
Are you a parent of a child with severe allergies? Make these New Year’s resolutions and be sure to share with family and friends!
Make no mistake about it… you are on the front lines of a war against anaphylaxis if you or your child have a severe food allergy. Don’t leave your only effective, life-saving weapon at home – because anaphylaxis takes no prisoners!
In yet another horrific tragedy that could have been avoided, 14 year old Emma Sloan died on the streets of Dublin Wednesday after ingesting a sauce containing peanuts at a restaurant.
Emma, who had a known peanut allergy, was having dinner with her family at Jimmy Chung’s Chinese buffet in Dublin’s Eden Quay. Emma’s mother Caroline explains what happened in this quote from the Irish Independent:
“Emma has always been very careful and would check the ingredients of every chocolate bar and other foods to be sure they didn’t contain nuts. She had a satay sauce. She thought it was curry sauce because it looked like curry sauce and smelt like curry.
“I’m not blaming the restaurant because there was a sign saying ‘nuts contained’, but it wasn’t noticed. After a while, Emma began to say, ‘I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe’.”
On Tuesday, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed bills into law paving the way for epinephrine auto-injectors to be stocked at public schools throughout the state beginning with the 2014-2015 school year.
Taken together, House Bills 4352 and 4353 provide for the following:
Andrew Turner, a 38 year old music teacher from St Donats, Vale of Glamorgan, UK, suffered anaphylactic shock and died shortly after ingesting wholegrain bread that was likely cross-contaminated with traces of tree nuts. Paramedics that arrived on the scene were unable to save him.
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