Potentially life-saving medication for children with nut allergies is out of stock, but the government has intervened to have a fresh batch imported quickly. 

EpiPen Junior, which is prescribed by specialists to children who are allergic to nuts, could buy a young patient enough time to get to hospital for treatment.

Concerned parents told this newspaper the medication had already been unavailable for a week.

Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne this morning said the government has intervened to ensure the medication is available soon.

"We are in contact with the supplier and we envision that by the weekend the medication should be available," Mr Fearne said. 

He explain that EpiPen is not imported by the government but by a private importer. "It must be made available as soon as possible," he said, adding that he had not been aware that it was currently unavailable.

When contacted before the government's intervention, J V Pharm, the suppliers of the medication, had said they could not guarantee that the medication would be available in two weeks’ time but “one could always check again in a fortnight”.

Check again in a fortnight

The EpiPen, which comes in the form of an auto-injector syringe, making it easy to be administered at the thigh by anyone, is the only medication available to treat nut allergies.

A concerned parent, Anne Marie Zammit, whose six-year-old son is severely allergic to walnuts and was prescribed the EpiPen by a specialist, said she had been to a number of pharmacies, including that at Mater Dei Hospital, searching for the medication

“The injection needs to be given in case of emergency. What happens if my son accidentally ingests walnuts? I am frustrated and very worried,” she said.

Ms Zammit said she would of course be taking all necessary precautions to try and ensure her son would not have an allergic reaction but admitted she was very worried knowing no medication was at hand.

“In case of an emergency, our only option would be to head straight to hospital and hope our son is treated in time,” she said.

Ms Zammit added that in an extreme emergency she might have to administer a dose of adrenaline directly from a syringe that did not have an auto-injector feature like the EpiPen.

“The doctor who treated my son suggested that I go to hospital and he would give me a syringe filled with adrenalin, just in case, until the real thing is available. Obviously, I’m a bit wary of using this product but I have no choice,” Ms Zammit said.

Nut allergies can be of two varieties: peanut and tree-nut, such as walnuts and almonds.

Sufferers can experience reactions considered mild and this would include some redness and swelling. However, in more extreme cases, a person can suffer a more severe reaction, known as anaphylaxis, which causes low blood pressure and swelling of the airways or vocal chords. If not treated immediately, such reactions can be fatal.