The History of the EpiPen

A mechanical engineer named Sheldon Kaplan invented the EpiPen, which was introduced for use in the 1980s. Traditionally, epinephrine was administered to patients experiencing anaphylaxis using a vial and a syringe. The method was error-prone, not very portable, and time-consuming, all of which put patients at additional risk. Kaplan designed the EpiPen while working at Survival Technology Inc. (STI). He redesigned the company’s AstroPen from the ground up. Although other engineering firms reported that using glass in the device wouldn’t work, Kaplan found a way by carefully tempering and cushioning the glass and uniquely calibrating the spring that activated the dispensing mechanism. One version of the device was called the ComboPen and used by the U.S. military to deliver an antidote to a new Soviet nerve agent. Kaplan also engineered a similar device specifically to administer epinephrine quickly and effectively — the EpiPen. Since Kaplan's invention was made available in the 1980s, the EpiPen has saved countless lives and remains one of the most important medical inventions created in recent decades.