Meet Evzio, Auvi-Qs first cousin. Evzio has inherited many thing's from it's cousin including it's voice, it's size and it's shape. What it didn't inherit though, was the medicine. If you look closely at the bottom of Evzio, you will see "USE FOR OPIOID EMERGENCIES". The Evzio contains narcan not epinephrine. Narcan is a medicine that knocks the opioids off of the receptors in the brain and can reverse the high someone feels with heroin, as well as the dangerous side effects of a high such as decreased consciousness and decreased respiratory effort. Regardless of the use, both epinephrine and narcan are important medicines that are being used to help people with two very prevalent diseases in our country--opioid addiction and anaphylaxis. Because narcan has saved so many lives, Pennsylvania recently updated their EMS protocols to allow EMTS to give epinephrine. That being said, the real benefit of the Evizio will be if family members of people at risk for opioid overdoses have the Evzio at their home. Because of that, there has been a big push to get the Evzio in drug stores as an over the counter medication all over the country. So does this matter for food allergic people?
To date before the Evzio, epinephrine was the only medication to come in an auto injector form. Glucagon comes in a semi auto-injector form but requires the use of a preloaded syringe to be added to a preloaded vial to activate the medication and then the user must draw up the glucagon into the syringe and inject it manually. My point is, saying auto-injector often makes people think of an epinephrine auto-injector. With the Evzio making it's debut, I think the most important thing is that food allergic people are aware of the new auto-injector and what it contains. Once it makes its way onto shelves the last thing we need people doing it is buying it because they think it is epinephrine. If you are having an anaphylactic reaction and someone tries to give you the Evzio, stop them! Also, don't be afraid to educate people on the difference. The truth is, the medicine in the Evzio saves a lot of lives just like the Auvi-Q, the more people who know how to give both, the more effective they will be and the more lives they can save.
To learn more about the Evzio, click here.
To date before the Evzio, epinephrine was the only medication to come in an auto injector form. Glucagon comes in a semi auto-injector form but requires the use of a preloaded syringe to be added to a preloaded vial to activate the medication and then the user must draw up the glucagon into the syringe and inject it manually. My point is, saying auto-injector often makes people think of an epinephrine auto-injector. With the Evzio making it's debut, I think the most important thing is that food allergic people are aware of the new auto-injector and what it contains. Once it makes its way onto shelves the last thing we need people doing it is buying it because they think it is epinephrine. If you are having an anaphylactic reaction and someone tries to give you the Evzio, stop them! Also, don't be afraid to educate people on the difference. The truth is, the medicine in the Evzio saves a lot of lives just like the Auvi-Q, the more people who know how to give both, the more effective they will be and the more lives they can save.
To learn more about the Evzio, click here.