Natasha’s Law targets the food manufacturers. However, her legacy the ‘Natasha Allergy Research Charity’ aims to research and support scientists to discover more about this life-threatening condition. Anaphylaxis is still a medical unknown. Children are not born with life threatening allergic reactions and can, alongside adults, develop them at any time and we still do not know why. The treatment of anaphylaxis has historically been to administer adrenaline and call 999 for an emergency ambulance.
More details of how to treat an allergic reaction, scrutiny of what we have currently done, both within First Aid with prescription and use of an Autoinjector (AAI) and General Practice, were recently studied and presented in the NICE guidelines on Anaphylaxis. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg134/evidence/anaphylaxis-full-guideline-pdf-184946941
Two important facts are highlighted:
All patients who suffer with Anaphylaxis should ALWAYS carry two Auto- Injectors, with the second pen being administered 5 minutes after the first pen.
This means patients may need to ask for additional Auto Injector pens from their Health Care Professional to ensure they always have two pens available.
The second Auto Injector pen should be administered into the opposite leg of which the first pen was administered.
In the case study of Natasha, the Coroner reported the second pen for Natasha had little to no effect on her condition. Her parents consulted a top allergy expert to find out why this was the case. The expert stated when the first pen is used it makes all the blood vessels localised to the injection site constrict. This is the mechanism that adrenaline has on small blood vessels and stops the fall in overall blood volume which happens in an Anaphylactic reaction. The result was when the second Auto Injector dosage was used on the same side, the adrenaline was not able to enter the blood stream effectively and the drug did not have the necessary and lifesaving effect.
You can find out more and support Natasha Allergy Research Foundation here: https://www.narf.org.uk/
Find out about keeping generic EpiPens and other AutoInjectors here: https://www.anaphylaxis.org.uk/campaigning/spare-pens-in-schools-campaign/