Guelph parents are growing concerned over the EpiPen shortage that has affected both Canada and the United States
Some Guelph parents are worried about their children going back to school during the EpiPen shortage.
Meghan McCoy, a Guelph mother of three is concerned about the availability of EpiPens in Guelph. Her six-year-old daughter is severely allergic to peanuts and almonds and requires an EpiPen at home and at school.
“In April I got a phone call from the school telling me that the EpiPen was expired,” said McCoy, who said that in April she was unable to obtain an EpiPen for her daughter.
The school had an unexpired EpiPen as back-up in their office, but McCoy is concerned for her daughter’s re-entry into school in September.
“They won’t allow an expired EpiPen in the school. We have three EpiPens, and they’re all expired,” said McCoy.
EpiPen is a auto-injected medication that is used for Canadians of all ages with life threatening allergies, from peanuts to bee stings.The auto-injector administers a dosage of epinephrine.
There are two types of EpiPen available, an adult dosage of 0.3 mg and junior dosage of 0.15mg. Both EpiPen and EpiPen Junior have become unavailable at many Guelph pharmacies and there is currently no restocking date available.
GuelphToday spoke with five different pharmacies within Guelph, all of them had no adult dosage EpiPens available, and were unable to order any from their suppliers. Only two of the five pharmacies had very limited stock of EpiPen Jr, one had one EpiPen Jr left, and the other pharmacy had three left.
The company that makes EpiPens, Pfizer Canada, said the shortage will last throughout the month of August, when a new shipment will be delivered, allowing for a limited availability. However, throughout 2018 it has been difficult to source EpiPens and Pfizer has not said when EpiPens will no longer have limited availability.
“Pfizer anticipates the next shipment of EpiPen 0.3 mg to the Canadian market by late August 2018. At which time, limited inventory will be available and will continue to be managed through measured allocation,” a Pfizer news release said.
According to the EpiPen Canada website, EpiPen Jr is available for children who weigh 33 to 66 pounds. Some pharmacies have limited availability for EpiPen Jr, but the adult dosage has become nearly impossible to locate in August.
McCoy received a phone call earlier this week from her nearby pharmacy letting her know that she would be able to obtain an EpiPen Jr, but she is unsure if the dosage will be correct for her daughter.
McCoy said that each September she meets with the Vice Principal to create a plan of action for her daughter’s allergy.
Other parents have also expressed their concerns on social media.
Heather Loney, communications and community engagement officer at the Upper Grand District School Board, said board staff have made principals and vice-principals aware of the EpiPen shortage.
“We are aware that schools may have difficulty getting a back up EpiPen during the shortage,” said Loney.
Loney said that all schools have received information from Food Allergy Canada about what to do during the shortage, which includes calling 911 immediately in an emergency, and then contacting parents.
“Fortunately the need to use an EpiPen is relatively rare,” Loney said, who shared preventive strategies in place at UGDSB schools, which includes no sharing food, using trays to separate foods, having specific seating locations, and hand washing and classroom cleaning procedures.
“Students are still allowed to attend school even if they can’t source an EpiPen,” confirmed Loney.
