The autoinjector provides value for people that don't do IM administration every day. It's rugged, sterile, can be used right through clothing if necessary, and provides the right amount of force to go through to the muscle. The kit might also include a practice injector for training the user.
Oh and it's probably a little hard to handle a bottle and syringe on yourself while you're suffocating.
That's an alternative, but is more complicated and the vials of epinephrine only have a shelf life of three months vice twelve to eighteen for the EpiPens.
That makes too much sence for the FDA, AMA lobby, big pharma, and very entity/persons that makes a killing off health care.
As to the simplicity the EpiPen, I once used it, and under stress didn't do it right.
When I was younger I was very interested in medicine. In college finished all pre-med courses. Interned at a Coroner's office, etc. Even spent some time in med school. Very familiar with giving a subdermal injection.
Now my father had a bad asthma attack years ago. I knew he was in poor health, so my stress level was high. He blurted out where the EpiPen was kept. I got the device, didn't have time to read the instructions, and just stuck it in his thigh. I apparently pulled it out too quick--just wasn't thinking, and nervous. I pulled it out so quick, because I was scared, felt the device was foolproof, and felt weird hurting my father. We luckey had enother one around, and injected him longer this time. If I was forced to use a syringe, their would be no assuming. "I need to get the drug into the syring. I then need to empty the syring into his thigh. Done?"
Well it didn't work, and he ended up in the emergency room. He survived.
I drove home feeling guilty, and still do today.
I always felt a kit with a single dosed bottles of epinephrine, and a syringe would make intuitive sence to a lot of people? I know I would have felt more comfortable that night.
I honestly think the powers at be underestimate the abilities of the average person, especially a person who's had an previous asthma attack. If a doctor/nurse spent a minute showing a patient how to injection themselfs with epinephrine; I don't think most would ever forget. Plus--we have all watched injections given on the boob tube? "But the average person would probally jab the syringe in the Carotid artery, or pull a Pulp fiction." They could jam it into a carotid, even with a EpiPen--with enough effort/stupidity?
I hope in the future we have over the counter life saving medications over the counter, including naloxone.
Demand passing a basic test if worried about consumers hurting themselfs? Something like a CPR certification? If the patient can pass, they can buy cheap medications over the counter? They don't need fancy propriatiatry drug delivery gadgets in so many cases.
I really think the only way to bring down medicine costs will be to make many drugs OTC, and demand basic competency exams if worried about ineptitude? There will always be people out there that will find a way to abuse/overdose/screw up dosesages on medication. Let's just try it for a year? Especially with certain life saving drugs. How many diabetics die each year because they don't have a prescription for insulin, and couldn't get to a hospital?
I used to have so much respect for any sector of the health care; now I look at most of them with utter discontent.
Oh and it's probably a little hard to handle a bottle and syringe on yourself while you're suffocating.