Neffy Needle-Free Epinephrine Nasal Spray: Adrenaline for Severe Allergic Reaction and Anaphylaxis Treatment
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Neffy is an adrenaline nasal spray approved for use in Australia for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions including anaphylaxis, and pharmacies here started dispensing it in February 2026. Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that interferes with someone’s breathing or blood circulation, and it can become life-threatening within minutes.
Giving adrenaline to someone has always meant pushing a needle into their outer thigh. Some people hesitate at that moment, which costs minutes that the person having the reaction does not have. A needle-free option removes the injection without removing any of the urgency behind it.
What is Neffy?
Neffy is a single-use nasal spray that delivers one dose of adrenaline into a nostril. Adrenaline, also called epinephrine, is a hormone your body already makes under stress, and a dose of it reverses the worst effects of a severe allergic reaction. The muscle around their airways relaxes to ease their breathing, their blood pressure remains level, and cramping, vomiting, and loss of bladder control all ease.
Approval covers the treatment of type I allergic reactions, the fast antibody-driven reactions triggered by foods, medicines, and insect stings, in adults and children aged 4 and older who weigh 15 kg or more. Two strengths are made for that weight range. Children between 15 kg and 30 kg are prescribed the 1 mg spray, and anyone 30 kg or heavier is prescribed the 2 mg spray. Each Neffy carton contains two single-dose sprays.
Do You Need a Prescription?
Yes. Neffy is a Schedule 4 medicine, which means a doctor or other authorised prescriber has to write for it, and no pharmacist can hand it over without that script. Adrenaline injectors such as EpiPen are one schedule lower and can be bought straight from a pharmacy counter, but the nasal spray cannot, so it is currently the harder of the two to obtain in a hurry.
Tell your healthcare provider a few things before your script is written. Say whether you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, whether you take medicines to treat depression, and whether you live with heart disease, an overactive thyroid, diabetes, or glaucoma.
How to Administer Neffy to Someone Having an Anaphylactic Reaction
Adrenaline works best when it is given at the first signs or symptoms of a severe allergy. Prompt treatment of anaphylaxis with epinephrine is the single thing a bystander can do. Signs that an allergic reaction has become anaphylaxis include:
- difficult or noisy breathing
- swelling of their tongue
- swelling or tightness in their throat
- a hoarse voice or difficulty talking
- a persistent cough or wheeze
- persistent dizziness or collapse
- pale and limp behaviour in a young child
Position the person before you spray. Lay them flat, or let them sit with their legs stretched out in front of them if their breathing is difficult. If they are unconscious, put them in the recovery position by rolling them onto their side, straightening their lower arm along the ground, bending their upper knee so they cannot roll forward, and tilting their head back slightly to keep their airway open. Put a pregnant person onto their left side. Never stand them up or walk them anywhere, and never let them get up afterwards. Once they are positioned, give them the dose by:
- Opening the packaging and removing the nasal spray
- Hold your thumb on the bottom of the plunger and one finger on either side of the nozzle.
- Place the nozzle into one nostril until your fingers touch their nose, keeping the nozzle pointed towards their forehead.
- Press the plunger up firmly.
- Call 000 and say that adrenaline has been given.
- Note the time, and hand the used device to the paramedics when they arrive.
Do not test or pre-spray the device beforehand. Seek emergency medical assistance immediately after administration of Neffy, since ambulance crews take over close monitoring and in the event further treatment is required they already have the person in front of them.
Watch the clock from the first dose. If their symptoms continue or get worse after the first dose, give them a second dose five minutes later using a new spray, ideally in the same nostril. An adrenaline injector may be used for that second dose if one is closer to hand.
Neffy vs Adrenaline Injectors
Adrenaline injectors push a needle into the outer mid-thigh muscle, and the drug is absorbed from there. Neffy is absorbed instead through the lining of one nostril. Both deliver the same drug for the same emergency.
Injectors have decades of use behind them. but the spray only arrived in Australian pharmacies in 2026. This recency and the possibility of nasal conditions are why the choice between the two belongs with a doctor rather than being settled at a pharmacy counter. Some people should still keep an injector regardless. The spray is not approved under 15 kg or under 4 years of age, so smaller children need injectors sized for them.
Where to Keep Your Neffy
Neffy should be kept with the person who might need it. Otherwise, store Neffy below 25°C and away from children. The 1 mg spray expires 24 months after it is made and the 2 mg spray 30 months, Discard your device immediately after use.
First Aid Training
Neffy cannot help someone if the person standing over a collapsing person has never handled one. We teach anaphylaxis recognition and treatment in our first aid training. You will practise positioning a person having a reaction, using an adrenaline device, calling emergency medical services, and timing when to give them a second dose. Enrol in first aid training with us and learn to treat anaphylaxis with whichever device is in front of you.
FAQs
Does Neffy Have Any Side Effects?
A single dose rarely causes trouble. Occasionally, people have reported throat irritation, headaches, nasal discomfort, or jitteriness, and less common complaints include a runny nose, nose pain, and nasal congestion.
Does Neffy Still Work With a Blocked Nose?
Yes, a cold or congested nose is not a reason to withhold it.
Is Neffy Safe During Pregnancy?
Yes. Adrenaline has a pregnancy category A rating in Australia, meaning it has been used by large numbers of pregnant women without evidence of harm to the baby.
