Illinois gov enacts law protecting EpiPen prescribers

Only 27 states require or allow epinephrine, a drug used to treat anaphylactic shock, to be available in schools. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)

ELMHURST, Ill. – Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed a law protecting health professionals who provide police officers with life-saving epinephrine auto injections.

The Republican on Tuesday signed an expansion of what is known as Annie LeGere's Law. Thirteen-year-old Annie LeGere died in August 2015 after a severe allergic reaction during a sleepover. Annie's reaction likely was to something she ate.

The original law provided legal liability protection to police officers who administer so-called EpiPen injections to those suffering allergic reactions. The new law protects doctors and others who write standing EpiPen prescriptions for police agencies to carry them.

Rauner's office reports that the nonprofit Food Allergy Research & Education estimates that nearly 15 million people in the U.S. suffer from food allergies. Six million are children.