Kaléo Sponsors May Contain Docudrama Premieres Highlighting the Realities of Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis

Award-winning film series brings visibility to the lived experiences of children and families navigating life-threatening allergic reactions, supporting broader advocacy and education efforts

Glen Allen, VA, May 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kaléo, a global leader in drug-device technology and auto-injector innovation, is sponsoring premiere events for May Contain, during Asthma & Allergy Awareness Month. The award-winning docudrama film series developed by Just Like You Films explores the lived experiences of children, teens, and families navigating life-threatening food allergies and anaphylaxis.

Kaléo’s sponsorship supports a premiere screening May 21 in Kansas City, Missouri, and a second screening and community engagement event on May 27, 2026 in New York City.

Food allergies affect approximately 33 million people in the United States and can lead to severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. Through personal stories and emotionally driven storytelling, May Contain brings to light the daily emotional, social, and safety challenges faced by individuals living with food allergies. The film series aims to increase understanding and encourage greater awareness, preparedness, empathy, and inclusion for individuals and families navigating food allergies and anaphylaxis.

“This film isn’t just a movie to me, it’s my life and my son’s life,” said Mandi Kearns, COO of Just Like You Films and Executive Producer/Producer of May Contain: My Life. “I believe deeply in the mission of Just Like You Films to bring people together through storytelling that sparks conversation in ways only narrative film can. We created May Contain: My Life to help people emotionally understand what families living with food allergies navigate every single day. Our hope is that it creates greater empathy, awareness, and meaningful conversations about how we better protect, include, and support people living with life-threatening food allergies, so families like ours feel seen and understood.”

May Contain has already received recognition on the film festival circuit for its impact-driven approach to food allergy awareness and anaphylaxis education.

“At Kaléo, we believe improving outcomes for patients and caregivers requires more than emergency preparedness alone; it also requires awareness, education, empathy, and advocacy,” said Michael Wells, Chief Executive Officer of Kaléo. “May Contain gives a voice to the real experiences of families living with food allergies and severe allergic reactions. We are proud to support efforts that help caregivers, educators, healthcare professionals, and communities better understand the realities of anaphylaxis and the importance of preparedness and inclusion.”

The sponsorship aligns with the company’s broader efforts within the food allergy community to support advocacy and preparedness initiatives, particularly for young children at risk of severe allergic reactions.

“Stories create understanding in ways facts and statistics alone cannot,” said Thomas Silvera and Ondina Hawthorne of the Elijah-Alavi Foundation, who are featured in the film. “Many families navigating food allergies feel isolated or misunderstood. May Contain helps audiences better understand the everyday realities, fears, and decisions families face while reinforcing the importance of advocacy, awareness, caregiver education, and preparedness.”

Unlike traditional health education campaigns, May Contain focuses on the human side of food allergies, highlighting the emotional impact, social pressures, and split-second decisions that shape everyday life for children and families managing anaphylaxis risk.

For more information about May Contain, visit May Contain Films.

For more information about Kaléo, visit Kaléo.

What is AUVI-Q?

AUVI-Q^® (epinephrine injection) is a prescription medicine used to treat life-threatening allergic reactions including anaphylaxis in adults and children who weigh 16.5 pounds or more who are at risk for or have a history of serious allergic reactions. AUVI-Q is for immediate self (or caregiver) administration.

Important Safety Information

What is the most important information I should know about AUVI-Q?

Always carry two AUVI-Q devices with you because you may not know when a life-threatening allergic reaction may happen. If a second dose of AUVI-Q is needed, it should be given starting 5 minutes after the first. If you need more than 2 doses of epinephrine for a single anaphylaxis episode, more doses must be given by a healthcare provider.
Talk to your healthcare provider about when it is necessary to get medical care for further treatment of the allergic emergency after using AUVI-Q.

If you have certain medical conditions, or take certain medicines, your condition may get worse or you may have more or longer lasting side effects when you use AUVI-Q.

Before using AUVI-Q, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, especially if you have heart problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid problems, kidney problems, history of depression, Parkinson’s disease, or are pregnant (or plan to become pregnant), are breastfeeding (or plan to breastfeed).

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. AUVI-Q and other medicines may affect each other, causing side effects.

AUVI-Q may cause serious side effects.

AUVI-Q should only be injected into your outer thigh, through your clothing if necessary. Do not inject AUVI-Q into your veins, buttocks, fingers, toes, hands, or feet. If this occurs, go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away and inform the healthcare provider of the location of the accidental injection.

Rarely, people who use AUVI-Q may get infections at the injection site within a few days of an injection. Some of these infections can be serious. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following at an injection site: redness that does not go away, swelling, tenderness, the area feels warm to the touch.

If you inject a young child or infant with AUVI-Q, hold their leg firmly in place before and during the injection to prevent injuries. Ask your healthcare provider to show you how to properly hold the leg during an injection.

Common side effects of AUVI-Q include: fast, irregular, or ‘pounding’ heartbeat, sweating, shakiness, headache, paleness, feelings of over excitement, nervousness, or anxiety, weakness, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, breathing problems. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all of the possible side effects of AUVI-Q.

Please see the full Prescribing Information and the Patient Information.

You are encouraged to report side effects to kaleo, Inc. at 1-877-302-8847 or to the FDA at www.fda.gov/medwatch or 1-800-FDA-1088.

About Kaléo

Kaléo is a global leader in drug-delivery device technology and auto-injector innovation, providing millions of patients with security and peace of mind. Our patented Aerio™ platform, with unmatched capabilities and Human Factors Engineering, powers our portfolio of auto-injector products, as well as products under development for third parties.

About AUVI-Q (0.3 mg, 0.15 mg and 0.1 mg)

AUVI-Q^® (epinephrine injection) is a prescription medicine used to treat emergency allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, in people who are at risk for or who have a history of serious allergic reactions. AUVI-Q contains epinephrine, a first-line treatment for severe allergic reactions that occur as a result of exposure to allergens including food such as peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, dairy, eggs, soy and wheat; insect stings or bites; latex and medication, among other allergens and causes.

AUVI-Q is the only compact epinephrine auto-injector with a voice instruction system that helps guide patients and caregivers step-by-step through the injection process, and a needle that automatically retracts following administration. In anaphylaxis emergencies, it is often individuals without medical training who need to step in and deliver potentially life-saving epinephrine. AUVI-Q was designed through careful analysis of the situations where epinephrine auto-injectors are used and with significant input from the allergy community that relies on it, incorporating Human Factors Engineering (HFE). HFE is about designing products or systems that are easy to operate and, most importantly, support correct use, with the goal to remove the potential for error. For more information about AUVI-Q visit www.auvi-q.com.

About Just Like You Films

Just Like You Films (JLYF) is a Mid-America Emmy® Award-winning nonprofit film production company dedicated to creating a kinder, more compassionate world through the power of storytelling. Through documentaries, docudramas, immersive experiences, educational impact programming, and its streaming platform JustLikeYouTV, JLYF shares stories centered around individuals living with unique circumstances — showing audiences that they are “just like you,” while fostering empathy, awareness, and inclusion. JLYF’s growing slate of projects and initiatives, including the Empathy Engine™, are designed to inspire conversation and create meaningful social impact across schools, healthcare systems, workplaces, and communities worldwide.

About Elijah-Alavi Foundation

The Elijah-Alavi Foundation is dedicated to advancing food allergy awareness, advocacy, education, and policy efforts aimed at improving safety, inclusion, and preparedness for children and families living with food allergies and anaphylaxis.

Media Contact: media.inquiries@kaleo.com

AUVI-Q^® and AUVI-q^® are registered trademarks of kaleo, Inc.

Attachments

Carrie Siragusa 
Kaléo
media.inquiries@kaleo.com

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