Epinephrine can save someone experiencing a severe allergic reaction. But there’s a catch: It can’t save you if you leave it at home.
That’s the surprisingly simple problem Sempresto is trying to solve.
The company is developing an epinephrine auto-injector that attaches directly to the back of a smartphone — something most people rarely leave home without. The idea could address a major problem for people with severe allergies.
Roughly 33 million Americans have food allergies. Yet Sempresto says fewer than 40% of patients have epinephrine accessible when an emergency occurs. The problem is particularly serious among teenagers and young adults, who are among those most at risk from fatal anaphylaxis but are less likely to consistently carry an auto-injector.
Sempresto’s solution is essentially an EpiPen for the smartphone era. Its slim autoinjector attaches to MagSafe- and Qi2-compatible smartphones and is designed to fit comfortably in a pocket.
It’s also paired with a mobile app that can provide training, usage guidance, and refill reminders. Eventually, Sempresto plans to offer 24/7 access to emergency-medicine professionals through telehealth partner Health Alliance Global. GPS functionality could also help direct emergency responders to a patient’s location.
The device has earned a Red Dot Design Award and is protected by 15 issued patents, with another 10 patent applications pending. Its intellectual property covers areas including device design, safety mechanisms, heat shielding, and attaching an auto-injector to a mobile device.
There is interest from patients, too. In an independent study involving 300 U.S. allergy patients and parents, 92% said they would purchase Sempresto instead of or in addition to their existing auto-injector.
Sempresto is initially targeting the epinephrine-auto-injector market, which it estimates is worth more than $3 billion annually in the U.S. and more than $6 billion globally. But epinephrine could be just the beginning.
The company believes the same smartphone-based platform could eventually deliver other rescue medications, including treatments for epileptic seizures and opioid overdoses.
Sempresto plans to make money primarily by selling prescription auto-injectors through traditional pharmaceutical channels. Its device is projected to cost less than $40 per unit to manufacture at launch, eventually falling below $20 at scale. Sempresto is targeting a retail price below the estimated $225 market average and projects gross margins above 85%.
Because patients typically replace epinephrine auto-injectors regularly, each customer could also generate repeat sales. A second potential revenue stream is Sempresto’s premium telehealth subscription. The company plans to share this revenue with Health Alliance Global, whose network is already licensed across more than 40 states.
Sempresto was founded in 2024 and has already made notable progress.
It has developed working prototypes, assembled its patent portfolio, and secured $2.6 million in angel funding. In December 2025, it announced a strategic partnership with Thomas Jefferson University, building on an exclusive license for technology invented by Sempresto co-founder Dr. Edmund Pribitkin, Chief Physician Executive at Jefferson Health.
Sempresto is targeting an FDA filing within 18 months and a U.S. and European commercial launch in 2028.