Swissmedic issues allergy drug alert
Allergy sufferers in Switzerland who use the emergency injection Anapen for relief are being warned not to use the drug due to a product defect.
Anapen and Anapen Junior are drugs that are injected to provide adrenaline to counteract allergic reactions, such as those that can occur from eating nuts or a wasp sting.
However, AllergyCare, the British manufacturer of the products, said some of the “auto-injectors” used to administer the product could be defective.
As a result, they could fail to release the active pharmaceutical ingredient into the body or only partly because of a possible blockage in the needles.
Swissmedic, the Swiss agency for therapeutic products, issued a warning on Friday for users of Anapen to contact a doctor immediately.
Physicians can prescribe another product aimed at counteracting allergic reactions or determine whether the patient can wait until new versions of Anapen become available, the agency said.
AllergyCare said new versions of both Anapen and Anapen Junior will be on sale in early July.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.