2024-08-31 08:00:00
It’s a mini-revolution in the allergy world: There may soon be a new way to combat severe allergic reactions without pricking yourself with an auto-injector like an Epipen. Neffy is a nasal spray that was recently approved in the U.S. and will soon debut in Canada.
Mother Vicky Perrault was horrified when her son Charles ate puree containing lentils and suffered an allergic reaction. She remembered that her whole body was swollen and I was really panicking. I didn’t give the Epipen, I hesitated because needles scare me.
Charles and his twin brother Edward, who both suffer from severe food allergies, pushed the fire truck through the living room of their home in Rawdon. That’s why their mother always carries two epinephrine auto-injectors with her.
But as Vicky Perreault said, the Epipen needle may hinder the delivery of the drug.
That’s why ARS Pharma designed Neffy Nasal Spray. The challenge for its president, Richard Lowenthal, is to overcome this hesitancy by offering an alternative to needles.
Mr. Lowenthal said in an interview that more people and their loved ones would not hesitate to use this new method of injecting epinephrine. Even if you say it’s just a needle, people are still scared of the injection.
The same drug passes through the nasal mucosa
Nasal sprays use the same medication as epinephrine auto-injectors, but it passes through the nasal mucosa and into the bloodstream. The design and approval of this new approach took eight years.
Neffy has just received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is expected to be launched in the United States in October. ARS Pharma hopes to have the device approved in Canada within the next six months, with one model for adults and another for children weighing more than 30 kilograms (66 pounds).
Richard Lowenthal said he believed both forms of the drug would be available in the country within a year.
Dominique Seigneur, director of communications and development at Allergy Quebec, explains that what is certain is that we have been waiting for years for an alternative to intramuscular injections. The new device also appears to be less fickle in terms of longevity and protection, she added.
The same enthusiasm is expressed by allergist Philippe Bégin, director of the Oral Immunotherapy Clinic at CHU Sainte-Justine. The great thing about nasal sprays is that it’s hard to be more mediocre than nasal sprays. “puff“ In the nose, Dr. Begin noted. So we want people to be able to use it faster.
That’s not to say the drug is better for treating allergic reactions, but people want to use it faster.
A quote from Dr. Philippe Bégin, allergist at CHU Sainte-Justine
Our message is: “Don’t hesitate to use Epipen, it’s zero danger.” But the researchers added that if the device was no longer scary, people might spontaneously go there and give it to themselves. He noted that in cases of anaphylactic shock, rapid intervention is important to avoid sequelae.
epipen unipolar
Neffy’s entry into Canada will also be welcomed as, until then, the Epipen auto-injector would have been the only option on the Canadian market, with other devices no longer available, several spokespersons stressed.
Marc-André Gagnon, associate professor at Carleton University’s School of Administration and Public Policy, emphasized that Epipen is an absolutely necessary product for most people and a shortage could have catastrophic consequences.
In Canada, prices for drugs like Epipen are fixed, meaning the company can’t raise prices at will. Mr. Gagnon said if we end up with shortages globally, the Canadian market will be less profitable for the company. It’s clear that by then, the company will move to more profitable markets, such as the United States.
The Quebec Allergy Society echoed these concerns. Dominique Seigneur said if there were supply or production issues with Epipen, that would be a real problem and there would no longer be an auto-injector on the market. This happened several years ago. Those who are more daring can go to the pharmacy and buy a bottle and a syringe.
For the roughly 3 million people in Canada who suffer from food allergies, including about 300,000 in Quebec, all that’s left now is waiting for Neffy to be approved in the country.
It was enough to reassure Vicki Perot. “It will make me safer,” said the mother of twins with severe allergies. She added that the simple fact is that people around her would be more comfortable using it if she went into anaphylactic shock, and just that, my conscience would be much better.
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