The current headline does not match the page title, and is clickbait and false, both literally and in its intended implication of commonality (what is there is nothing like an EpiPen, and its hard to see what its point is at all -- it seems to be an unregulated "at your own risk" medical device that adds no clear value and considerable risk compared to just using a syringe, and clearly doesn't have the ease-of-use-in-an-emergency utility that justifies autoinjectors like the EpiPen.)
I guess if an Epi Pen was some sort of Rube Goldberg device for making an injection more complicated.
The whole point of an Epi Pen is that it can be easily carried (in a purse for example) and used by people with very little training to give an injection (just "stab and go"). This device doesn't serve any of the purposes of a real Epi Pen.
When drawing up a medication from a glass ampule, you're supposed to use a filtered needle to prevent glass shards from being drawn into the syringe[1]. Now... many folks don't do that, because if you break it properly, the odds of getting glass shards inside the ampule are pretty small (and people are lazy).
In this case though, you're smashing the ampule inside a (non-sterile) container, which will keep all the broken glass, and mix it with the solution (along with any bacteria that have taken up residence on the outside of the ampule, or the inside of the 'ampule breaker' thing).
You're then supposed to draw that up (in a process far _more_ complicated than just drawing up a medication from a vial) and inject it into someone? No thanks...
This is strictly worse than a prefilled epinephrine syringe, which a quick google search tells me costs about $10 [0].
In fact, Adamis recently tried to get FDA approval to sell prefilled syringes as an alternative to Epi-Pens, but it was rejected with demands for more expansive patient usability study and product stress testing [1].
The creator of this "3D printed Epi Injector" evidently does not understand the problem that actually needs to be solved.
I get it, we like 3D printers, but this isn't a good use of them at all.
This doesn't have the same accessibility and is no better than just using a damn syringe. In fact, this is plain stupid and lack of understanding the requirements that the EpiPen is intended to fill.
Take news story. Apply 3D printer. Success?! No, just stop.
Not to mention the whole "injecting glass into yourself" thing.
It's no less complicated than simply drawing up the medication from a rubber topped vial. It's still a bunch of things you have to unpack at the time you need it (the syringe, stopcock, and needle will all need to remain in their packaging until they're used). There are a ton of downsides...
I like it. It breaks the neck not the glass. Micro glass particles in muscle are meaningless anyway. Sterility is meaningless. Epi outside in air oxidizes and its effect is compromised. It's life or death. Plus what's anyone else doing to save $ for those who can't afford epipen. It's a start. Jmo
What people are doing (arty least medical personnel I've heard from) is recommending people get prescriptions for epi vials and syringes for self injection. Which is simpler than this. And cheaper. And easier to use. And safer.
Which is still not a perfect replacement for an autoinjector, but it's better than this contraption.