Anapen Adrenaline Pen Shortage: Allergy Patients Must Adapt to Stock-Out

All three dosages of Anapen are affected

The French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) has stated that it has been informed by the Bioprojet laboratory of a shortage of Anapen adrenaline auto-injector pens. These auto-injector pens are indicated for the emergency treatment of symptoms of anaphylactic shock, which is potentially fatal and constitutes an absolute medical emergency.

All three dosages are affected: from now on, the Anapen 300 microgram (µg) pens, and from September, the 150 µg and 500 µg pens will also be out of stock. And you will have to be patient since the full re-availability of Anapen pens is planned for the first quarter of 2025.

Disruptions linked to a “transfer of production site”

To compensate for these temporary disruptions, patients treated with Anapen will be prescribed, during their next consultation, an adrenaline auto-injector pen of another brand, namely Epipen or Jext.

The Agency specifies that this disruption is not due to a quality defect but to a transfer of production site which led to a delay in the supply of Anapen pens.

Patients who currently have an Anapen pen can use it until its expiration date.

Recommendations for patients

The ANSM therefore issues recommendations for patients faced with this situation:

• Do not request replacement of your auto-injectors before the expiration date;
• At your next medical consultation (when renewing your prescription or if the pen has already been used), the doctor will prescribe an auto-injector of a brand other than Anapen. Your doctor will train you in the use of this pen;
• If you are using Anapen 500 micrograms (mcg), your doctor may prescribe one or two 300 mcg pens of another brand, depending on your clinical situation.

Recommendations for healthcare professionals

Prescribing physicians are also encouraged to replace Anapen 500 µg prescriptions with another auto-injector and to offer an alternative for other dosages, while training patients in the use of this new reference.

Pharmacists should direct patients with a prescription for Anapen to see their doctor so that they can write a prescription for a different brand of pen (Epipen or Jext).

Recurring supply difficulties

Difficulties in supplying adrenaline auto-injectors are recurrent. In order to help doctors, the ANSM publishes the coverage of needs for each adrenaline auto-injector at the national level based on stock and supply data transmitted by laboratories.