3 ms·

why aren't these things refillable? My understanding is that these need to be replaced yearly, but you replace the whole thing.

maxerickson 10y ago
The drug is sitting in front of a spring loaded plunger. So to refill it you have to release the tension and then correctly reset it. A mechanism that made it simple and reliable to do that would probably cost the same as throwing away the simpler mechanism. People that want to muss with vials and needles are free to do so anyway (you can buy epinephrine and needles for cheap if you aren't concerned about an easy to use and reliable auto-injector). The systematic failure is that the FDA granted Milan exclusivity for a simple improvement on a 30 year old product. The FDA should have the power to keep small improvements off the market when the innovator chooses not to license them. Of course this will outrage some people that believe in the freedom of companies to benefit from the patent system, but from a pragmatic standpoint the return to exclusivity was far more harmful to consumers than the simple improvement is beneficial.
scottshea 10y ago
Potential damage to the injector on each use makes it hard to guarantee a refill will work the same way.
- camtarn 10y ago
  I'm guessing the parent was asking about refilling due to the active ingredient expiring, not after an actual injector use. Hopefully most people who have epi-pens have to replace them due to expiry rather than due to frequently having to use them. Replacing the pen after actually using it seems entirely reasonable - if nothing else, the needle will be contaminated.
  - acomjean 10y ago
    Thats what I was asking. I was thinking of inhalers for asthma. The plastic bit is cheap enough, but they could in theory just give you the medicine filled part. My understanding is the medicine in these epi-pens is fairly inexpensive..
    - jrnichols 10y ago
      > My understanding is the medicine in these epi-pens is fairly inexpensive.. an ampule of 1:1000 epinephrine is about $4. At least that's the price we pay for them on the ambulance. I'm a Paramedic in the US, and we took the Epi-Pens off our units ages ago due to the ridiculous costs. Now we just draw up epi by hand with a typical insulin syringe and deliver it that way.

maxerickson 10y ago

The drug is sitting in front of a spring loaded plunger. So to refill it you have to release the tension and then correctly reset it. A mechanism that made it simple and reliable to do that would probably cost the same as throwing away the simpler mechanism. People that want to muss with vials and needles are free to do so anyway (you can buy epinephrine and needles for cheap if you aren't concerned about an easy to use and reliable auto-injector). The systematic failure is that the FDA granted Milan exclusivity for a simple improvement on a 30 year old product. The FDA should have the power to keep small improvements off the market when the innovator chooses not to license them. Of course this will outrage some people that believe in the freedom of companies to benefit from the patent system, but from a pragmatic standpoint the return to exclusivity was far more harmful to consumers than the simple improvement is beneficial.

scottshea 10y ago

Potential damage to the injector on each use makes it hard to guarantee a refill will work the same way.

camtarn 10y ago
I'm guessing the parent was asking about refilling due to the active ingredient expiring, not after an actual injector use. Hopefully most people who have epi-pens have to replace them due to expiry rather than due to frequently having to use them. Replacing the pen after actually using it seems entirely reasonable - if nothing else, the needle will be contaminated.
- acomjean 10y ago
  Thats what I was asking. I was thinking of inhalers for asthma. The plastic bit is cheap enough, but they could in theory just give you the medicine filled part. My understanding is the medicine in these epi-pens is fairly inexpensive..
  - jrnichols 10y ago
    > My understanding is the medicine in these epi-pens is fairly inexpensive.. an ampule of 1:1000 epinephrine is about $4. At least that's the price we pay for them on the ambulance. I'm a Paramedic in the US, and we took the Epi-Pens off our units ages ago due to the ridiculous costs. Now we just draw up epi by hand with a typical insulin syringe and deliver it that way.