It should not have taken half a minute longer before Liesbeth de Vries (65) had been dead. About ten years ago she had an allergic reaction to a wasp sting. Her body went into shock, so much so that she eventually had to be resuscitated. She was taken to the hospital with sirens blaring.
Always epipen in your pocket
If Liesbeth is stung again, an epipen can help, the anti-allergy drug can be life-saving. But Liesbeth does everything she can to keep the wasps at a distance. She no longer sits on crowded terraces full of sweet drinks, no longer eats outside and does not wear perfume or deodorant with a scent.
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Two weeks ago she heard that a wasp infestation was coming. She has been wearing her epipen ever since; in a bum bag. But the liquid in the pen is cloudy and can therefore no longer be used. “I’m very stressed, because they don’t have new ones at the pharmacy. There is nothing left in stock and the pharmacist told me that epipens are difficult to deliver.”
Not available nationally
“It is true that the epipen is not available at the moment,” says a spokesperson for the KNMP, the professional association for pharmacists. “There are alternatives available, such as the Jext and the Emerade, which are also pens with adrenaline.”
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A wholesaler also recognizes the national supply problems. “We do expect that the Jext, a similar pen, will be delivered again towards the end of this week.” But the question is how many there are and whether all pharmacies can fill their cabinets with it.
The manufacturer of the epipens has informed the pharmacists this afternoon that pens will be delivered next week. It is not known how many there are and how the deliveries for the following weeks are going.
Alternatives also on
The problem for Liesbeth and everyone else with an allergic reaction is not only the shortage of the epipen, but also of all alternatives. “The Jext and the Emerade, an alternative to the epipen, the epipen for young people and Tavegyl, tablets that are much less strong, are not available at our wholesale,” says pharmacist Famke Vriezen of BENU pharmacy in Hoorn.
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According to her, you have to be a bit lucky with the pharmacy’s stock. “We were able to solve it by giving pens with a best-before date until the end of August, by which time the Jext pens will be delivered again.”
From Germany
According to her, another solution is to import the pens from Germany. The Health and Youth Inspectorate must give permission for this, the Inspectorate has not yet done so. “The epipen has not been released for import. However, people with a prescription from their GP can get a pen in Germany.”
The only drawback is the price. The pens are a lot more expensive there.
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