EpiPens on UCC campus ‘a world first’

The country’s foremost food allergy expert has hailed as akin to “discovering pencillin” and a “world first” the government decision to legislate to allow trained members of the public administer life-saving medicines in emergency situations.

Professor Jonathan Hourihane, head of the department of paediatrics and child health at University College Cork, had been on the verge of introducing EpiPens on campus at UCC five years ago, but the pilot was put on hold amid concerns about administering a prescription-only medicine to a person who had not had that medicine prescribed.

“We had everything in place. We had 50-60 people trained. We had protocols in place. We even had a letter of comfort from the insurers. But a legal issue arose as to whether we, as trained medical prescribers, would be held liable for any adverse outcome,” Prof Hourihane said.