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DEY, L.P. Applauds President Bush for Signing Legislation
That Will Ensure Students Can Carry
Their EpiPens® With Them During the School Day
Napa, CA, November 04, 2004 - DEY, L.P. applauded President Bush for signing H.R. 2023, the Asthmatic Schoolchildren's Treatment and Health Management Act of 2004. The new law requires the Department of Health and Human Services, when making asthma prevention grants, to give preference to states that ensure the ability of students with severe allergies and asthma to carry their prescribed medications with them during the school day.
"The bottom line is this law will save lives," said J. Melville Engle, President and Chief Executive Officer of DEY. "Individuals across the country, many of whom are children, depend on their EpiPens® to protect them from the sometimes fatal effects of severe allergies. It does no good for a child who has a prescribed EpiPen® to be prohibited by a school administrator from being able to carry their EpiPen® with them at all times. We are thrilled to have been part of the effort to bring this much needed protection to the attention of lawmakers in Washington DC, and we applaud all the groups who played a role in its enactment."
A specialty pharmaceutical company located in Napa, DEY markets the EpiPen®, which is used for the emergency treatment of severe allergic reactions, called anaphylaxis, that can become fatal within minutes if untreated. In some states and school districts children must report to the nurse or a school administrator to receive their medication, even if they are having an allergic reaction or an asthma attack, putting them needlessly at risk - particularly when any delay can prove life threatening. Currently there are 31 states with laws protecting the rights of students to carry asthma inhalers, and 19 of those states also protect students' rights to carry auto-injectable epinephrine.
"We have worked with many legislators, families and other partners such as DEY, who supported us and understood the importance of helping to educate Congress on this issue," said Nancy Sander, President and Founder of Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA). "This law means students with asthma and anaphylaxis are safer than they were yesterday - but we still have work ahead of us to ensure all states have consistent guidelines." AANMA has already provided assistance to many states, from California to New Hampshire, helping them to pass laws protecting vulnerable children by allowing them to carry and administer their auto-injectable epinephrine (EpiPen®) for anaphylaxis.
About DEY, L.P.
DEY, L.P., is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacturing and marketing of prescription drug products for the treatment of respiratory diseases and respiratory-related allergies. Since 1978, patients have benefited from DEY's commitment to innovative and affordable health care solutions.The Web sites for DEY include www.dey.com, www.accuneb.com, www.curosurfusa.com, www.duoneb.com and www.epipen.com. DEY is an associate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
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Contact:
DEY, L.P. Media Line
1-800-755-5560 ext. 8363
