Advocacy and Research - October 2023

Learn about PEI’s newest allergist and the advocacy efforts behind it. Plus, learn about the latest on neffy^®, an epinephrine nasal spray, and our thoughts on the FDA decision.

Advocacy: First allergist in PEI!

We’re excited to share that Prince Edward Island will have its first allergist later this year – Dr. Hannah Roberts.

Several years ago, we advocated in PEI for increased access to proper medical care for residents with food allergy, and the hiring of an allergist and clinical immunologist. We enlisted the assistance of the members of our community in PEI who also reached out to the Health Minister and their local MLAs.

Thanks to the Islanders who helped support this initiative! Together, we have helped to prioritize the need for allergy care, as residents had previously been travelling out-of-province to see an allergy specialist.

Meet Dr. Hannah Roberts

Dr. Roberts attended medical school at the University of Ottawa, followed by a residency in Pediatrics at Memorial University. She completed a subspecialty fellowship in Allergy and Clinical Immunology at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. Dr. Roberts holds board certification from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Pediatrics and Allergy & Clinical Immunology. Prior to returning home to Prince Edward Island to practice, she worked as an Allergist/Immunologist in Ontario and British Columbia.

Advocacy and research: Latest development with neffy^® epinephrine nasal spray

For those of you who are following the developments in the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has declined to approve neffy^® epinephrine nasal spray under development by ARS Pharmaceuticals, pending further study. The company will have an opportunity to run additional studies and apply for approval again. Read their press release.

We are disappointed to learn about the FDA’s decision to not approve the first alternative to needle devices. However, we do support the rigor that is required to ensure that these options are safe and effective for our community.

You can watch an interview with Dr. Edwin H. Kim, as he discusses the potential advantages and challenges of administering epinephrine intranasally as opposed to an intramuscular injection, such as with an epinephrine auto-injector.

In the meantime, there are still two devices available in Canada that are safe and effective for the treatment of anaphylaxis and we encourage you to watch our short video on the importance of epinephrine for the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis. This video illustrates why the prompt use of epinephrine is so important.

We will continue to follow this issue and reach out to the experts, and we are committed to keeping you updated on the progress.