New nose spray could save the lives of people with allergies [Video]

For decades, the EpiPen has saved countless lives as the go-to treatment for severe allergic reactions. Soon, a new nasal spray may be replacing it in certain cases.

“Anyone who has experienced or witnessed an anaphylaxis reaction knows it can be very stressful deciding when to inject epinephrine to themselves or a child and often delay,” said Dr. Jonathan Spergel, Chief of the Allergy Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, according to an Aug. 9 press release from ARS Pharma.

That was the same day that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved neffy, the company’s nasal epinephrine spray, for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions, including life-threatening anaphylaxis. So far, it is approved for adult and pediatric patients who weigh at least 66 pounds.

According to the FDA, neffy is a single dose nasal spray administered into one nostril. Typically, epinephrine injection products have a second dose to …