A number of parents have reported that they cannot find a pharmacy to renew their child’s EpiPen Junior (150 mcg). We have contacted medical affairs from Mylan (who distribute EpiPens) who confirm that EpiPen Junior 150 mcg (not EpiPen 300 mcg) is currently out of stock in Australia and will not be available for supply at least until the 17th of November.
What would I recommend if you need to urgently renew your EpiPen Junior
- If it has expired, I would suggest the EpiPen Junior can be used still as long as there is no discolouration apparent (examine the window in the pen), given the potential benefit is greater than the risk of a suboptimal response. Once the pens are back in stock, you must renew the expired EpiPen Junior. One study found Epipens that were expired (1-50 months after their expiry date), still contained ~80% of the effective adrenaline dose (refer to https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/05/11/epipen-effective-allergic-reactions-4-years-past-expiration-study-shows-11266)
- If the EpiPen Junior is up for renewal AND your child is now 20kg or over, they should be prescribed the EpiPen 300 mcg as per ASCIA expert recommendations (refer to link: file:///Users/sammehr/Downloads/ASCIA_Guidelines_AAI_Prescription_2016.pdf).