Colorado parents concerned over delays in getting EpiPen replacement

DENVER -- Colorado parents are raising new concerns about delays getting the free replacement EpiPen.

Meridian Medical Technologies, makers of the Mylan EpiPen, announced earlier this week it is recalling select batches of EpiPens due to a potential defect.

Jill Osterdorf and Amy Farrell both have kids with life-threatening allergies. They found out from their child's school that their EpiPens were included in the recall.

"Oh my God, what are we going to do?" Farrell said was her first response.

"Knowing that it might not work is just not an option for me," said Osterdorf.

They each tried to get the free replacement, but said they were told it would take up to a day to get the voucher code.

In Farrell's case, she said she never reached anyone.

"There's long wait times. I still haven't gotten through to the phone number," she said.

Both of their kids go to school in Jefferson County. The district told Denver7 it would administer the recalled EpiPens since only a small percentage have failed to inject.

However, if it did fail, schools don't have extras and would have to wait for paramedics.

"I stayed home just in case. I had the phone with me. You’re sort of on high alert, something could go wrong," said Farrell.

Both parents said they weren't willing to take the risk for more than a day and, because of the delays, decided to purchase new pens out of pocket.

"They're there and we can't get it because of a code, they can't issue a code in a timely fashion," said Osterdorf. "I think we're fortunate because we can afford to pay those prices, but what about the ones that can't and the allergies are real."

Mylan the company who makes EpiPens sent us the following statement late Tuesday:

Our current return and replacement instructions are provided on our website, www.mylan.com/epipenrecall.  If a patient has product affected by the recall, they are instructed to contact Stericycle at 877-650-3494 to obtain a voucher code for free replacement product.  There is no wait period to receive the voucher.  Patients are encouraged to carry their current EpiPen Auto-Injector until they receive a replacement device at the pharmacy.

As we worked with our partners to establish the appropriate systems and procedures for replacements over the weekend, there was a delay in providing the voucher numbers. This is no longer the case.