THOUSANDS of life-saving injectors carried by sufferers from severe allergic reactions are faulty, the UK distributors warned yesterday.
The US makers of the EpiPen and Junior EpiPen have discovered that about 4000 of the one-shot pen-style syringes contain a reduced dose of the main active ingredient, adrenalin, and users are being advised to carry a back-up.
They are used by an estimated 100,000 people in Britain who suffer from allergic conditions rendering them vulnerable to anaphylactic shock.
Eating food containing peanuts, adverse drug reactions, bee or wasp stings and a host of other individual allergens can trigger an extreme histamine reaction leading to suffocation.
One of the latest victims, Bristol student Kate Bailey, 18, is recovering in hospital after being almost killed by the whiff of red kidney beans from a boil-in-the-bag chilli.
She survived by using her adrenaline pen while her brother Simon, 17, dialled 999.
The pens are obtained on prescription and are designed for simple use by pressing them to the leg and pushing the button to release a pre-set dose of the drug.
The situation regarding the EpiPen - one of the most widely-used brands - is complicated by the fact that the exact shortfall varies from pen to pen.
In addition, the 4000 thought to be affected are part of a total of 40,000 in different batches (numbered below) and ALK, who distribute the EpiPen to pharmacy wholesalers in Britain, said it was not known - and impossible to tell visually - which one in 10 were affected.
Pending replacement, they are advising those with a pen from the batches listed to carry a second auto-injector.
''As is usual with this product, a second dose should be given if symptoms are still present 15 minutes after the first injections, and immediate medical help should be obtained,'' said the company.
Managing director Elo Elmaa said: ''We are very concerned for the well-being of our consumers, and we are co-operating fully with the Medicines Control Agency and patients' groups to ensure that doctors and their patients are fully aware of the situation. We will make replacements available as soon as possible.''
A spokesman said that they were making arrangements to get fresh supplies through to replace the suspect injectors and, barring hiccups in some local areas, they expected this to take a couple of weeks. In the meantime, patients are advised to contact their GPs as the first step in getting them replaced.
The faults were picked up in quality control by the US makers.
The numbers of the batches containing the affected pens are: EpiPen Auto-Injector 806509/ M013977, 806509/M014143, 725902, 732213; Junior Auto-Injector 725901, 806507/ M014047, 806507/M014131.
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