Anti-food allergy pens difficult to find in UAE

At all times, people with life-threatening allergies need to carry around an EpiPen. However, these EpiPens are difficult to lay hands on in the UAE, say patients.

The EpiPen is an auto-injector of epinephrine, the first-line treatment for life-threatening allergic reactions. When a life-threatening allergic reaction takes place, the injection of this hormone ought to be injected in the thigh immediately, to treat reactions such as hives, redness of the skin, tightness in the throat, breathing problems and/or a decrease in blood pressure. After that medical attention should be sought.

Although the injection does not form medical treatment of the allergy, it does prevent the allergic reaction from taking its toll on the body.

Therefore, many patients are prescribed to carry the EpiPen with them at all times. Children are often required by schools to have one themselves, and one for the teacher or school nurse.

In the UAE, the EpiPen is only available in some pharmacies within hospitals, an inconvenience for patients living in the UAE.

"Please tell me where you can buy them over the counter here as it is always a hassle to get them via the hospital pharmacies. I usually try and get them overseas where they are cheaper but sometimes this is not possible!" writes a female expat on an online forum where the availability of the EpiPen is discussed.

Complaints are not only the limited selection of pharmacies where the EpiPen is available. Even where they are available, the pharmacies are not always well-stocked, say people involved.

"When you do manage to obtain them, they often have a very short shelf life. EpiPens are only valid for one year, however in Dubai you may buy one and find that it expires in 4 months as it has been sitting on the shelf of that pharmacy for the last 8 months.

"This makes the purchase very costly as each EpiPen costs on average of Dhs 450 and many insurance companies do not cover the cost of EpiPens," is written in an article on the subject on Expat Echo.

"EpiPens here are very expensive and the stock available tends to have only a couple of months left until expiry. Bring over a supply with you," advises a mother of a patient on the aforementioned forum for expats.

"The availability of EpiPens here fluctuates all the time, sometimes you can get them, sometimes you can't. And then even if you can, you can luck out and only have 2 months on them," writes another woman.

According to Amin Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for Medical Practices and Licensing, EpiPens are not available in regular pharmacies because the manufacturer has chosen not to register these pharmacies as legal selling points of the product.

Indeed, none of the regular pharmacies questioned by this website knew of the availability of the treatment, nor was any alternative offered.

The EpiPen is only available through hospital pharmacies on prescription, and it is the only treatment of its kind, confirmed small as well as large pharmacy chains.

Some hospital pharmacies offer AnaPen, which has a shelf life of two years instead of one year.

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