VIDEO: Evolution of anaphylaxis guidelines, therapies

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The future of anaphylaxis guidelines and treatments are evolving, Jay A. Lieberman, MD, FACAAI, told Healio at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting.

One upcoming change is new guidelines for patients after administering epinephrine for anaphylaxis. If their symptoms completely resolve and they can be monitored by family or friends, it may not be necessary to call an ambulance or head to the ED.

“This idea would be a little bit of a paradigm shift from what we’re used to,” Lieberman, a professor at University of Tennessee Health Science Center and member of the Healio Allergy/Asthma Peer Perspective Board, as well as the annual meeting program chair, said. “But we have data now and cost-effectiveness analyses to show that maybe this isn’t always needed.”

New epinephrine delivery methods are coming as well, such as intranasal and sublingual epinephrine, Lieberman said.

“We have a lot of data, at least pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data, to suggest that these routes may be just as effective as the intramuscular route,” Lieberman said. “[They] may take away fears of the needle and increase the likelihood of delivery of epinephrine early during anaphylaxis.”