FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) announced that Dr. Kelly Cleary, its Medical Director and Vice President of Health and Education, will participate as a panelist at an upcoming workshop organized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy. The event is focused on expanding access to epinephrine.
“Every day, people with food allergy face real barriers to obtaining and using the only medication that can save their lives during anaphylaxis,” said Sung Poblete, PhD, RN, CEO of FARE. “This event represents an important opportunity to bring visibility to those barriers to develop solutions that help the community of more than 33 million people in the U.S. living with food allergy.”
Dr. Cleary is scheduled to join Session 3: Current Accessibility to Epinephrine for Treating Anaphylaxis. Other panelists include Linda Herbert from Children’s National Hospital; Charity Luiskutty from the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team; Dr. Ruchi Gupta, Director of the Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research at Northwestern University; and Dr. Christopher Warren from Northwestern University. The session will be moderated by Dr. Michael Pistiner of Massachusetts General Hospital for Children.
FARE has worked on improving epinephrine access through initiatives such as the FARE Neighborhoods Initiative (FNI), which offers resources for food allergy patients in underserved areas across the country. According to a 2024 survey conducted by FARE in five FNI communities, among 925 lower income households with at least one member affected by food allergies, just over half received an epinephrine prescription and most filled it. However, only a small percentage reported being able to access epinephrine within five minutes all or most of the time.
The organization has also released public service announcements aimed at increasing understanding about food allergies and emphasizing the importance of having a prescription for and carrying epinephrine.
The workshop is set for December 16 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET.
