Using of Expired EpiPen for Allergic Reactions

In March 2013, a teenage college student with a severe nut allergy accidentally ate a cookie containing nuts. He then developed severe anaphylaxis, but his family did not use his Epi-Pen because the expiration date had already passed, and a 911 operator told them over the phone not to use it. While the teen finally did receive an Epi-Pen injection from a neighbor’s device, it was too late: the student died later that evening at a local hospital. (It is important to realize that it is not clear if using the expired EpiPen would have changed the outcome of this tragic event.)