Talking Allergies

It's official, the new design has been on the market in the USA for sometime now but had to pass Health Canada review first.

http://www.epipen.ca/CONSUMERS/English/ ... EpiPen.cfm

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

Thanks for the heads up, Susan. I have a few that expire at the end of April, but the ones we will be using for school (original design) don't expire until after the school year ends, so the staff wouldn't have to be trained on the new design until their annual training in September.

I have just ordered a kit with a new trainer, so will be able to check it out soon.

They mentioned a new body design and larger instructions. . . I wonder if this means the unit itself and/or the plastic carrying case is also larger? I haven't used Twinject at all, but had access to a trainer recently and was surprised at how much smaller the unit is, and how much easier it would be fit it into a small pocket, pouch, etc rather than two bulky epipens. Since at school they wouldn't use the 2nd twinject dosage, we would still have to provide two units, and because of ease of use for other caregivers, I would still tend toward epipen and not twinject unless I carried two twinjects per child and expected people (grandparents, the occasional sitter, etc) to just not use the 2nd dosage. . . .

Does anyone know the cost difference between the two units? Epipens come in at just under $100 each, depending on the drug store's dispensing fee.

I hope if it is bigger, that two units would still fit into a Kozyepi Duo? I don't see anything on the Kozy site about the new epipen design.

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DD 2004 Allergy to peanuts, egg, sesame, and new: lentils and chick peas
DS 2006 Allergy to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, kiwi fruit, eczema

OK - I just found these FAQs about the new design, which provides some info. Because of the oval shape, hopefully two units would still take up the same amount of room as the old design.

"It is important to understand that the new EpiPen® and EpiPen® Jr have the same reliable auto-injector mechanical properties and contain the same dose and formulation of epinephrine. The needle gauge (bore or diameter) and length are exactly the same as the preceding version of EpiPen®s. Importantly, the administration of the EpiPen® is exactly the same, only the colours of the safety release (formerly gray now blue) and the injection tip (formerly black now orange) has been changed. The colours of the ends or tips of the EpiPen® were changed to make them more distinguishable, especially; among users who may be colour blind and may have difficulty distinguishing colours.

There has been a change to the shape of the injector from round to a larger oval shape:

1.The oval shape allows for the mechanics of the automatic needle protection device. This has been added to prevent accidental needle sticks.
Once the dose is administered and the EpiPen® is released from the injection site, the orange needle cover automatically extends and immediately locks in place encasing the needle to prevent accidental needle sticks.
Further, the way the orange needle cover is designed the patient never actually sees the needle either prior to or after administration of the dose.
2.The oval shape also allows for more surface area for the labelling information and administration instructions on the EpiPen® which has been revised to be more visual in order to aid in accurate use of the EpiPen®.
3.Lastly, the oval shape makes the EpiPen® easy to grip in your hand and it also makes it more recognizable as a medical product, differentiating it from an item of a comparable shape or appearance (e.g., ink pen, lipstick or lip balm container, cigar, etc.)"

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DD 2004 Allergy to peanuts, egg, sesame, and new: lentils and chick peas
DS 2006 Allergy to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, kiwi fruit, eczema

I've seen pictures of the old and new side-by-side. The new one looks bigger. I don't think it will fit in the e-belt.

But you said you've got the kozi epi -- I checked their site and it says

Our pouches now fit the new larger Epipen autoinjector size!

I don't know if that means they've made their pouches bigger and the old ones are to small.

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I'm so not impressed with this change. I want it smaller not bigger. I have a son heading very quickly into his teens. It's hard enough getting teen boys to carry the epi-pen....so they make it....bigger.

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self: allergy to sesame seeds and peanuts
3 sons each with at least one of the following allergies: peniciilin, sulfa-based antibiotic, latex, insect bites/stings

AM, There has been an increase in the no. of accidental auto-injections when trying to give the Epi.

e.g. the makers of Epi would have known this research was in the works, which was published in February:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20159254

So I think the intent here is to vastly improve safety.
Re the Epi belt - do you know it doesn't fit? I'd heard rumours but don't know yet if accurate. Did you hear this from someone in the U.S.?

The belt isn't an EpiPen product, so it's possible they didn't take it into consideration.
We can check out, unless you or somebody else already knows for sure.

Re the teenager issue, have you considered one of the leg (calf) holders? Might be a solution.

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

I don't know anyone in the US that already has the new pen and has the e-belt. Someone posted pictures of the two trainers side by side -- and it looks quite a bit fatter. I've ordered the new trainer and I'll let you know whether or not it fits when I get it.

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I don't think the leg-holder will work for him. Not enough muscle. I do have the waist carrier that epi-pen was giving out free last year, and I'll probably also pick him up one that hanges off either a belt or a belt loop. He's old enough that I don't think he really needs the added strength of the e-belt.

But either way -- he's going to rebel somewhat (they all do). And bigger just makes it that much more difficult. I don't want him to ever get to the point where he decides to leave it in his locker. And, I guess he'll have to start taking the belt off for gym class -- oh joy! One more thing to lose at school.

I want that epi-card....

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self: allergy to sesame seeds and peanuts
3 sons each with at least one of the following allergies: peniciilin, sulfa-based antibiotic, latex, insect bites/stings

I saw the new Epipen trainer at our Mississauga Allergy Group meeting this past Tuesday. It is bigger and will not fit into the E-belt. It is a little longer than the old one, and is now an oval shape. The narrowest part of the oval is the same width as the old Epipen, but the widest part of the Epipen is wider than the old one. It is now colour-coded, and the needle will now be enclosed after use so there will not be an exposed needle. I also wish it was smaller, not bigger. We really like the E-belt, but the allergist speaking at our meeting said one thing to consider is that you must remove the Epipen from it's original container with the original prescription label. I had heard that the new containers from the pharmacist will be a harder plastic and more resistant to breakage/damage. Has anyone else heard this???

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14 yr old daughter: no health issues
11 yr old son: allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, fish, sesame, sunflower, mustard, poppy seeds, green peas, some fruits, instructed to avoid all other legumes (except soy & green beans), pollen, cats, horses

Thanks Julie - drat, that is too bad re E-belt.

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

The e-belts were designed with rigid plastic because years ago the protective tube that came with the epipen was made of a flimsy plastic.

From what I gather, the new style is oval to ensure that the user can grip it securely and not hold it incorrectly. With so many different belt types on the market, it should be easy enough to fnd one that fits the new device. Perhaps the makers of the e-belt will rethink their product.

I do agree that it is annoying to have to make yet another purchase.

Does the e-belt qualify as a medical device under CRA eligeable medical expenses?

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

The current case the epi-pen comes in is no where near as strong as the e-belt.

My son fell off a play-scape - about 6 feet - and landed on his epi-pen. The only damage was a bruise. He was also wearing it when involved in a minor MVA. He was thrown foward into the seat belt -- which happened to be where the epi-pen was. Again -- no harm to him or the epi-pen.

He's older now - so I'm not so concerned about this for him. But for little kids that go flying into moneky bars -- I hope they do make a newer one.

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self: allergy to sesame seeds and peanuts
3 sons each with at least one of the following allergies: peniciilin, sulfa-based antibiotic, latex, insect bites/stings

I've sent an e-mail to the makers of e-belt and to MedicAlert Canada to see if they plan on making changes to their belt designs.

I'll keep you posted.

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

_________________
Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

I like the new design, but will now wait before ordering a belt.

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DSs 7,7,9 all PA

Thanks Susan.

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

Thank you for posting this Susan.

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14 yr old daughter: no health issues
11 yr old son: allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, fish, sesame, sunflower, mustard, poppy seeds, green peas, some fruits, instructed to avoid all other legumes (except soy & green beans), pollen, cats, horses