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Winnipeg pharmacies short of EpiPens after Allerject recall

Epipens. File photo. Getty Images

WINNIPEG — Some city pharmacies are experiencing a shortage of EpiPens after a massive recall of a competing epinephrine injector.

Sanofi, the manufacturer of Allerject, issued a massive recall of hundreds of thousands of injectors across North America over concerns they may contain the incorrect dosage of epinephrine.

The company is replacing Allerject units with EpiPens, free of charge, for any affected patient.

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READ MORE: Allerject recall over incorrect dosage

Global News contacted several pharmacies throughout the city and all reported they were either seriously low on stock or had no EpiPens available whatsoever.

On Friday, Pfizer Canada, the manufacturer of EpiPen, released a statement saying “we are working diligently to secure and distribute five times our usual monthly EpiPen inventory to replace the Allerject auto-injectors recalled from the market.”

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According to the statement those shipments should start to arrive by the end of the first week of November. However, local pharmacies may not be able to stock their shelves with the product until the middle of the month.

Allerject and EpiPen are both potentially life-saving drugs used to counteract severe allergic reactions but Allerject gives automated instructions to users on how to properly administer the injection.

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