Neffy, First Needle-Free Epinephrine, Fills a Deep Need for Patients, says Allergy Expert

"They key driver of this whole program and other alternative noninjectable means for delivering epinephrine has been patients."

Neffy (epinephrine nasal spray) was approved by the FDA this week for emergency treatment of type 1 allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, the most serious and life-threatening response to an allergen.

Thomas Casale, MD, an investigator for the neffy clinical studies submitted to the FDA, told Patient Care during an interview that from the beginning, the force behind the development of the first alternative to epinephrine delivered via manual syringe has been patients "clamoring for a means to deliver epinephrine rapidly, effectively, but without using a needle."

In the conversation above, Casale discusses the many benefits of the intranasally administered epinephrine not only for individuals who self-administer the treatment but for caregivers as well, particularly parents caring for a child having a dangerous allergic reaction. He and colleagues in allergy and primary care also hope that the launch and availability of neffy will provide additional opportunities for patient education on the need to use epinephrine early in an allergic reaction on the advantages of intranasal administration.

Thomas B Casale, MD, is professor of medicine and pediatrics and chief of clinical and translational research at the University of South Florida Division of Allergy and Immunology in Tampa. He is a past president of the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology and was executive vice president for 10 years. He has served on the board of directors for the American Thoracic Society, The World Allergy Organization, and the American Board of Allergy and Immunology where he was also chair.