An alert has been issued over a bath of EpiPens, which thousands of children and adults carry for the emergency treatment of life-threatening anaphylaxis.

All Australians carrying EpiPens, including parents and carers of those who need them have been urged by health authorities to check the expiry dates on the injections.  A recent labelling problem has caused the alert to be issued over the injections.

EpiPens are used for the emergency treatment of anaphylaxis (acute severe allergic reactions) due to insect stings, drugs or other allergens.

The company that distributes the medicine, Alphapharm, said a small number of reports from pharmacies in Victoria had shown the expiry date on the pens did not match the expiry dates on the cartons they were distributed in.

A company spokeswoman said that no cases of the discrepancy causing harm had been reported, and the expiry date on the actual pen was the correct date – not the expiry date shown on the carton.

The company said people with an EpiPen® Adrenaline Auto-Injector should check the expiry date on the device and compare it with the information on the carton.

“If the batch number and expiry date on your EpiPen® device are different to the batch number and expiry date on the EpiPen® carton, please return both the carton and the device immediately to your pharmacy for replacement with unaffected stock,” a written statement said.

For more information people should contact Alphapharm by telephone on 07 30006258 or 07 30006294 or email product.complaints@alphapharm.com.au.

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