Quoted from FAAN (http://tinyurl.com/4rxbxou)
The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Management Act  (FAAMA)

Five years after FAAMA was introduced in the U.S. Congress, FAAMA has finally passed as part of the food safety bill on Dec. 21, 2010 and was signed into law by President Obama on Jan. 4, 2011.

FAAN led the effort to encourage Congress to enact the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act (FAAMA), which calls for voluntary national guidelines to help schools manage students affected by food allergy and anaphylaxis.

The bill will:
  1. requires the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and make available to schools a voluntary policy to manage the risk of food allergy and anaphylaxis in schools
  2. provide for school-based food allergy management incentive grants to support implementation of food allergy management guidelines in public schools
 
Sciele Pharma, Inc., has introduced the Adrenaclick, a single-dose epinephrine auto-injector for emergency treatment of anaphylaxis.  It is available as a single unit or two pack, with two dosing options (0.15 mg or 0.3mg).

At first glance of the company's video demo, the device looks similar to a TwinJect, so it appears there is no practical size advantage over the existing Epipens and TwinJect. 

More information is available at the company website:  www.adrenaclick.com.

 

The launch of a new epinephrine auto-injector is probably still years away, but progress is being made.  Intelliject, Inc. reports that it is in late-state development and has partnered with Sanofi-Aventis US.  They expect to submit a new drug application with the FDA this year, but the product is still a few years to market.

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/business/health_med_fit/article/COVR04_20100103-172003/315120/

Re-designed Epipen

11/13/2009

 
A newly designed Epipen is now available, with "enhanced usability."
 
The new design features a flip-top carrying case, blue safety release cap, integrated instructions, and an orange-colored needle tip with needle protection.  The instructions tell you to "swing and firmly push" the orange tip into the outer thigh. 

See the new Epipen here:  http://epipen.com/pdf/EP9532_TEARSHEET_DR.pdf
 
Starting in June 2009, Betty Crocker introduced four gluten-free baking mixes:  Brownie, Cookie, Devil's Food, and Yellow Cake.  All of these mixes are made in dedicated gluten-free facilities. 

Find more information on their site here: 
http://www.bettycrocker.com/products/gluten-free/gluten-free.htm
 
OK - this is a little bit of tooting one's own horn.  Here are the links to a CNN story about the importance of having to carry an Epipen with you everywhere because of food allergies. 

Story:  http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/09/04/food.allergies.bees.epipen/index.html

Video:  below
 

As a result of their merger with Delta (based in peanut-friendly Georgia), Northwest Airlines is again serving packs of peanuts as of Feb. 1, 2009. 

Please give Northwest Airlines your feedback on this decision at: 

http://www.nwa.com/talk/ttu.html

 

We've all heard of bomb-sniffing dogs, but now there is a program based in Texas that trains dogs to detect peanut and treenut residue.  The dogs are vested service dogs that can go anywhere with the child (including restaurants) to detect nut residue on other people, food, or objects.  Apparently they have already placed some dogs with families of children with nut allergies.  

Find out more here:  www.peanutdogs.com

Sesame-free bagels

5/14/2008

 

A FACT member has found out that Sara Lee now labels for sesame, including cross-contamination.  (Pepperidge Farms also labels for cross-contamination of sesame.) 

Apparently Sara Lee makes a plain bagel that is sesame free.  As always, please read the label each time, and contact the manufacturer with any questions.

 

One of the winning ideas from Martha Stewart's "Next Big Idea" poll is the publication of a food allergy magazine.  This idea, voted on by viewers, easily garnered the most votes.  The magazine will supposedly carry recipes and lifestyle information for those with food allergies.