The Sanofi drug company is recalling hundreds of thousands of epinephrine injectors used to save people in the event of a life-threatening allergic reaction. The recall affects all injectors sold in Canada under the brand name Allerject and those sold in the U.S. under the name Auvi-Q. There is one other brand of epinephrine injector that is not affected.
People who are severely allergic to certain foods, insect bites, medicines or other substance usually carry epinephrine injectors in case they are accidentally exposed to their trigger allergen.
26 reported malfunctions
The problem with Allerject is that it may not deliver the correct amount of the life-saving drug. Sanofi says its subsidiaries in Canada and the U.S. have received 26 reports of suspected device malfunctions from an estimated 2.78 million distributed in North America. No fatalities have been reported.
It’s estimated 2.5 million Canadians suffer from life-threatening allergies, called anaphylaxis. About a dozen die every year.
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