EpiPens on the rise

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With food allergies receiving more attention, more children are being prescribed EpiPens, single-use shots of epinephrine that can counter severe allergic reactions resulting in anaphylaxis.

"The number of prescriptions for EpiPens has gone up 36% in four years, which is a huge increase," ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross says. "It may be due to an increase in the number of children with food allergies, but also to more doctors realizing that young people who have food allergies should have access to EpiPens." He assures us that the potentially life-saving devices are very easy to use in an emergency.