Adventures of an Allergist Mommy

On Sept. 16, 2009, Adamis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced that Walgreens will begin to offer its epinephrine pre-filled syringes (Epi PFS) as a generic alternative to epinephrine autoinjectors. Certainly, it is wonderful to have a lower-cost alternative to EpiPen and TwinJect. (Tier 1 co-pay on Aetna and Cigna!) Many parents cough up $70 or more out of pocket for epinephrine autoinjectors that end up being thrown away. Now, don't get me wrong- I think it's much better to spend the money and throw it away than not spend it and be without life-saving medication if you should need it. But when you need one for home, one for school, one for grandma's house, etc... it adds up. On top of that, I like to prescribe epinephrine for my immunotherapy patients, and they aren't thrilled about the co-pay either, especially when the prescription is only a precaution. However, just because the medication inside the syringe is the same doesn't mean that device is equivalen...

I have a special interest in the treatment of severe eczema, and for years have been recommending to my patients treatments designed to reduce the burden of the bacteria known as staphylococcus aureus. Staph aureus, as it is commonly known, colonizes the skin and nose of up to 90% of patients with atopic dermatitis, or eczema. This not only can lead to infections in inflamed skin, but can also contribute to worsening of eczema when patients develop an allergy to the toxins produced by the bacteria. The mainstays of antibacterial therapy for control of staph aureus colonization are: oral antibiotics, nasal antibiotics, and dilute bleach baths. The traditional thinking has been that implementing these measures would reduce the bacterial burden, thereby improving the condition of the skin. Now, a fascinating study in the September issue of Pediatrics has turned the traditional wisdom on its head. Sure enough, patients treated with the anti-staph cocktail therapy had better outcomes t...