Even if you have epinepherine on board, do you know how and when to use it? What if the condition wasn't actually an allergic reaction? Suppose the patient had a cardiac condition and you administered epinepherine? Suppose it was something entirely different? Is the CEO qualified to make that diagnosis? Forget technical qualifications and legalities...does he have the experience and training, or the knowledge to make the decision?
If the patient is subject to severe reactions, why does the patient not have his or her own prescription?
If the person administering the drug were an emergency medical technician, especially at the basic level, unless the patient brought his or her own, it's still not a drug that the EMT could administer, and generally then only under medical direction or control...in other words, unless a docor on the other end of the line ordered it.
Administer the wrong drug at the wrong time, however well meaning, and one might end up harming or killing the patient.
Setting that aside, what of the legal ramifications? An AED is straightforward; it's designed to protect the patient and the user. But drugs are not. If your drugs are used inappropriately, you're liable in a very big way. If your drugs are out of date, contaminated, or otherswise cause harm in that respect, then you're liable. Does your CEO want to make himself, you, and the company liable for untrained and unqualified people making untrained and unqualified decisions that affect someone's life and the financial future of everyone involved...potentially for the rest of your lives?
Conversely, if that patient does have a reaction as described and dies, you are not at fault for failing to have drugs on board which you are not qualifed or allowed to administer...see the difference?
If instead you counter that you're qualified or the CEO is qualified and able to prescribe these meds on the spot (or yourself, or someone else onboard, or associated with the company, or you have a medical director to handle it, etc), then have a ball, stock up, and the question has a silent, or mute point.
I believe your question was specifically if others carry this on board. Presently I don't. I have been involved in ambulance operations where we did carry such supplies (and a whole lot more) on board. In the event we had our regular contingent of nurses and medical technicians on board, of course any of the drugs could be used according to the established protocols for the medical direction for that company. I'm also an EMT, far from a doctor and far from any particular significant level of qualification. However, absent any specific approval from the doctor who provided the medical control for that operator, I couldn't merely decide to administer those drugs by myself, to a patient or passenger on board.
I experienced a flight one night in which a passenger in a small twin lost consciousness in a rural/remote area at night. I didn't have a nurse on board. I was transporting two passengers from a hospital to their home in a remote location, and was told only that the passenger was being returned home following "tests." The passenger was seated next to me in the right seat, at his request. The other passenger was seated at the back of the airplane. My ability to administer help to the passenger/patient was limted, of course, by my responsibility to fly the airplane.
Within reach, I did what I could, which was put a nonrebreather mask on the passenger and apply oxygen at 30 litres/min, and slip a pulse oximeter on his finger. At the same time I executed a rapid descent to the nearest field and landed. Drugs were on board. I didn't use them. I did not know for certain at the time that the patient was experiencing a cardiac condition. He could have been stung by a scorpion (common there), he could have had any number of problems, including an allergic reaction. Had I attempted to administer epinepherine (an inappropriate reaction in that case), I could have killed him. Most likely, I would have.
My point is that even if the drugs are available, chances are that using them is an inappropriate reaction...especially if one doesn't hold the qualifications to use them.
When I was spraying full time, many operators carried Atropine to counteract oranophosphate poisoning. Organophosphates are typically sprayed pesticides, but act as nerve agents on people and are very hazardous. Their effect with continued use is cumulative, so that poisoning may take place over time, and smaller and smaller doses may be necessary to cause a reaction or kill a person. When you're working with Parathion and other such chemicals daily, this is an important consideration.
The problem is that Atropine shouldn't be administered by non-medical personnel. It does counter the organophosphate, but it is also a deadly poison. The proceedure then was in a nutshell to poison the victim of organophosphate poisoning with Atropine. Then treat the atropine poisoning with Protopam Chloride (2Pam). Then treat for the effects of the 2-Pam. An operator who began self-administering Atropine following a poisoning was in effect, killing himself with the Atropine, though he might be saving himself from Organophosphate poisoning. Perhaps you see my point.
Securing an Epi-pen or similiar product to put on board isn't difficult, or is the use difficult...but the big question is should you? The ramifiations of carriage and use are very serious for you, your company, and the patient. Something to think very carefully about before proceeding.
