How does neffy work?

Neffy works in the same way as epinephrine injections, activating both alpha and beta receptors to narrow blood vessels. This helps to maintain blood pressure and heart function, and relaxes smooth muscles in the airways of the lungs to make breathing easier. neffy may also relax the smooth muscles of the stomach and intestine to relieve digestive symptoms often associated with anaphylaxis, such as nausea.

When used to treat life-threatening allergies, neffy:

• relaxes the airway muscles to help with breathing
• constricts blood vessels to maintain blood pressure
• reduces swelling, hives or itching that may occur around the face, eyes, or lips
• stimulates the heart (increases heart rate)
• prevents the release of histamine, which can further worsen allergies.

What is neffy?

neffy is a nasal spray that is used to treat severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, in adults and children 4 years of age and older who weigh 33 pounds (15 kg) or more. It is needle-free and simple to administer. neffy gained FDA approval on August 9, 2024.

It is available in 2 strengths:

• 1 mg/0.1 mL of epinephrine per spray for children 33-66 lbs (15-30 kg)
• 2 mg/0.1 mL of epinephrine per spray for patients 66 lbs (30 kg) or greater.

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neffy vs EpiPen

neffy is a needle-free nasal spray that is sprayed into the nose whereas EpiPen is an injection that is given into a big muscle, such as the thigh.

• neffy contains either 1 mg or 2 mg of epinephrine per dose.
• An EpiPen autoinjector contains 0.3mg per dose and an EpiPen Junior auto-Injector, delivers 0.15 mg per dose.
• neffy delivers a higher dose than EpiPen because it is being given via the nose rather than by injection, so a higher dose is needed for the same effectiveness because an injection delivers medicine to the bloodstream more effectively.

Research has also showed that people are more likely to use a nasal spray 18 minutes earlier than injectable epinephrine.

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Drug information

• Epinephrine (60 reviews)
• neffy

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