FDA Approves Voice Guided Epinephrine Injector: Auvi-Q

I recently went on vacation and stayed with a friend who has a son that is highly allergic to any and all dairy products.  My first thought was how terrible it would be to live without ice cream, cheese, or even a bowl of cereal, but then I realized just how tough it must be.  Dairy is in everything, and is a huge part of what most kids eat.  I can only imagine how hard it must be for them to make sure their son is safe.

Like most people who suffer from severe allergic reactions, they always carry a couple of epinephrine injectors just in case they miss something and he has a severe reaction.  Not being someone who has to deal with that, I don’t have a lot of experience with them, but I can’t imagine that they have actually changed much over the years.  I mean how much can you do to a needle that injects you with epinephrine?

The answer is something very simple, that may very well save some lives.  A company by the name of Sanofi recently received FDA approval for a voice-guided epinephrine injector called Auvi-Q.  This new device provides step by step audio instructions of how to properly use the injector.  It also provides visual cues including an alert light to signal that the injection is complete.  A video demonstration of its use can be found below.

It is entirely reasonable to think that a person having a severe allergic reaction could freak out and not remember how to give themselves an injection, so this device provides a solution to a very real problem.  On top of that, it could also be very useful in the event that the patient needs help from someone else to give the injection that may not be familiar with how to do so.  In either case the instructions are also written on the packaging to help ensure proper use.

In this day and age of new gadgets and apps that don’t really serve a worthwhile purpose, it is always refreshing to see an improvement on a well-known product that could very well save lives.

 

 

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David Lynn

1 Comment

  • I’m a pediatric nurse practitioner working as a medical consultant for two large school districts, very interested in your product. All my buildings have stock Epi-Pens. Your product seems wonderful. My questions: 1. Is there a pen or model that can deliver 2 doses of medication? 2. Do you have pricing avail that would be affordable for schools, discounted prices? 3. Do you have a sample or two (trainers)and DVDs that I may have to use in discussions with administrators and groups that I provide training to? Thank you, kindly! Donna Jones, 22 Organ Crescent, West Seneca, NY 14224-1616.

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