A nationwide shortage of adult EpiPen is being felt in Swift Current, but relief might be coming soon.

As of yesterday afternoon, only one pharmacy out of five in the city had adult EpiPens and they only had two left on the shelf.

Myla Wollbaum, director of professional practice at the Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan, said they've experienced an interruption in EpiPens supplies since January of this year and at this moment pharmacies don't even have the option to order adult EpiPens.

"We have been told that there are manufacturing issues specific to the EpiPen," she said. "We don't know the fine details of what that means, but obviously they're working to resolve that issue and hope to have it back in an appropriate supply for pharmacists to start ordering it at the end of August."

Wollbaum was quick to point out that the shortage isn't interfering with the EpiPen juniors that carry about half the dose of an adult Epipen.

"When we think about options for those pharmacies that have run out of supply of EpiPens, the EpiPen junior is an option for patients except they would have to use two," she explained. "And of course it would potentially cost them twice as much more depending if they have coverage."

The other two choices for adults that need EpiPens are to purchase an epinephrine kit or use expired EpiPens as studies have shown that 90 per cent of the apparatus that have expired still work up to two years afterwards.

"We expect that Pfizer is working on a solution right now and that when they have an adequate stock that is the intended end of August release date for a good supply to be available again," Wollbaum said. "Hopefully we don't see another shortage."