Sandoz Pharmaceuticals has announced the immediate availability of their emergency epinephrine device in pharmacies nationwide.
The device, named “Symjepi”, is not an auto-injector but a prefilled syringe. The difference may be important for some and not for others.
The syringe that delivers the epinephrine in an auto-injector is typically hidden until it is activated by a jab to the outer thigh, at which point the needle is inserted into the muscle and the epinephrine is automatically administered. A prefilled syringe is what the name implies: a syringe that already has a dose of medication loaded where one needs to insert the needle and press the plunger to administer the epinephrine.
Here is a video describing how Symjepi is administered:
Like auto-injectors, Symjepi is available in 0.15mg doses for children 33-65 lbs and 0.3mg doses for people 66 lbs and over and are sold in twin-packs.
Symjepi is a welcome addition to the market for emergency epinephrine and should help alleviate shortages caused by the spotty availability of Mylan’s EpiPen, the market leader.
EpiPen Shortage Will Continue for Months Longer
