Adrenaline delivered with liquid or powder nasal sprays is as effective, and sometimes even better, than injected adrenaline, an evidence review found. File Photo by Tannen Maury/EPA
People with extreme, life-threatening allergic reactions might do as well to use a nasal spray as jab themselves in a thigh with an EpiPen, a new evidence review says.
Adrenaline delivered with liquid or powder nasal sprays is as effective, and sometimes even better, than injected adrenaline, researchers reported Tuesday at the European Emergency Medicine Congress in Vienna.
"My review found that intranasal adrenaline, a needle-free alternative delivered as a liquid or dry powder spray, can be as effective as the EpiPen, with some forms reaching the bloodstream even faster," researcher Dr. Danielle Furness said in a news release. She's a resident doctor at the Royal Derby Hospital in the U.K.
"Nasal sprays could become a suitable and equally effective needle-free alternative to the EpiPen, which is the current treatment for anaphylaxis," Furness added.
