Epinephrine is traditionally delivered by injection. In August 2024, the FDA approved nasal epinephrine spray. Drug companies continue to seek alternative methods of delivering epinephrine. Recently, one company has developed a sublingual epinephrine strip to treat anaphylaxis in patients weighing more than 30 kg.
The results of its studies showed that symptoms of anaphylaxis started to resolve within 2 minutes and completely resolved in a median of 12 minutes after sublingual epinephrine strip was administered.
Sublingual epinephrine strips offer several advantages for anaphylaxis patients:
- It works as quickly as EpiPen.
- It delivers epinephrine in a safe and effective way under a variety of conditions.
- It is simple and easy to use. It is placed on the bottom of the tongue, and it begins to dissolve quickly.
- It is about the size of a postage stamp and comes in a package that is thinner and smaller than a credit card.
- It weighs less than 28 grams.
- It can be carried in a pocket or wallet.
- It resists exposure to weather such as sunlight or rain.
- The administration does not require any water or swallowing.
The Company expects to launch the sublingual epinephrine strip in late 2025 or early 2026, if approved by the FDA.
