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Hundreds of thousands of lives have been saved over the years when naloxone — commonly known as Narcan — is administered to someone overdosing on opioids. Drugs Illegal drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl can be mixed with xylazine, either to enhance drug effects or increase street value by increasing their weight. sedative/tranquilizer called xylazine to heroin, fentanyl and other opioids. And that’s bad news for addicts because naloxone doesn’t reverse a xylazine overdose. National Center for Biotechnology Information “You overdose on xylazine, and you’re going to die,” said the commander of the Greater Harrison Drug & Violent Crimes...

In September, Narcan — the first over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration without a prescription — was rolled out to pharmacies and drugstores across the United States with a retail price of $44.99 for a pack of two devices. Experts have already hailed the widespread availability of the medication, which quickly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, as a "lifesaving" tool amid alarming rates of drug overdose deaths. In 2021, more than 75% of those deaths involved opioids, with fentanyl contributing to more than 77% of adolescent overdose deaths that year. Indeed,...

The state of California is making efforts to produce its own supply of naloxone nasal spray. On Thursday, the California Department of Health Care Access and Information took the next step in creating the supply by issuing a request for information. This step assesses the ability of suppliers to fulfill the state's needs. Private partners can now bid to develop, manufacture and distribute generic naloxone nasal spray. Naloxone can reverse an opioid overdose. The most common form of the medication is Narcan nasal spray. California's Department of Health Care Services pays $44 per two-pack of Narcan. In the RFI, the...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved its first opioid reversal drug, Narcan, for over-the-counter, nonprescription use. "Today's action paves the way for the life-saving medication to reverse an opioid overdose to be sold directly to consumers in places like drug stores, convenience stores, grocery stores and gas stations, as well as online." U.S. Food and Drug Administration Narcan, the brand name of the nasal spray naloxone, will switch from prescription to over-the-counter status within the next several months, the agency said. Prescriptions will still be required for other formulations and dosages of naloxone.

The overdose-reversing drug naloxone should be made available over the counter to aid the national response to the opioid crisis, U.S. health advisers said Wednesday. The panel of Food and Drug Administration experts voted unanimously in favor of the switch after a full day of presentations and discussions centered on whether untrained users would be able to safely and effectively use the nasal spray in emergency situations. The positive vote, which is not binding, came despite concerns from some panel members about the drug’s instructions and packaging, which caused confusion among some people in a company study. The manufacturer, Emergent...

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency Washington Division is raising awareness about nitazenes, a dangerous class of drugs they are seeing emerge in the region. Nitazines are being sourced from China and being mixed into other drugs, the DEA says. Isotonitazene, also known as nitazene or "ISO,” is a synthetic opioid first identified around 2019. Photo courtesy of U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency Nitazenes: You've probably never heard of these highly toxic drugs, and neither have many Americans who abuse opioid street drugs. That lack of awareness could prove deadly, experts warn, because nitazenes are increasingly being added into heroin and street...

The death of a Connecticut seventh grader from an apparent fentanyl overdose has renewed calls for schools to carry the opioid antidote naloxoneThe death of a 13-year-old student who apparently overdosed on fentanyl at his Connecticut school has drawn renewed pleas for schools to stock the opioid antidote naloxone, as well as for training of both staffers and children on how to recognize and respond to overdoses. The seventh grader died Jan. 15 after falling ill at a Hartford school that did not have naloxone on hand. City officials vowed Wednesday to put the antidote in all city schools, as...

New York City health officials have announced a plan to install 10 “public health vending machines” that would dispense sterile syringes, an anti-overdose medication and other “harm reduction” supplies to help neighborhoods that have been hit hard by drug overdoses.

Health officials are advising people who use drugs to have naloxone on hand, which can be obtained at needle exchanges and other locations. They’re also advising people who are going to use drugs not to do so alone and to start with small amounts. Those who suspect someone has had an overdose should call 911 right away and administer naloxone, according to Public Health. The law protects people who overdose and those who call 911 from drug-possession charges. Naloxone is not harmful if given to someone who is not experiencing an overdose, so even when in doubt, bystanders should administer...

San Francisco’s mayor plans to put medical teams on the streets to distribute a drug that curbs heroin cravings in opioid addicts, an initiative he says will be the first in the country. Mayor Mark Farrell announced Thursday he will allocate $6 million for 10 new public health clinicians to provide the opioid treatment medicine buprenorphine, known as Suboxone, directly to users. Buprenorphine is a daily pill or dissolvable strip that reduces cravings and alleviates withdrawal symptoms. It also reduces risk of overdose. Video and photos of people shooting up drugs in public have gone viral in recent weeks and...

COLUMBUS (WCMH) - It’s being called the first program of its kind in Ohio, fighting against the opiate epidemic. The Licking County Health Department is combining the internet and medicine to potentially help save lives and reduce stigmas. With the help of a state grant, it bought 350 naloxone kits. Starting in January, you can get one delivered to your door and learn how to use it online. It’s free for Licking County residents. “We were pleased last year that the overdose deaths dropped, but unfortunately this year they’ve crept back up again,” said Licking Co. Health Commissioner Joe Ebel....

The head of a pharmaceutical company, who partnered with the Clinton Foundation, has increased the price of an auto-injector used to treat opioid overdoses by 680 percent over the course of three years.Spencer Williamson, the president and chief executive officer of the Richmond, Virginia-based Kaleo Pharmaceuticals, is under fire after the price of a two-pack of Evzio, a device that treats life-threatening opioid overdoses, skyrocketed from $690 in 2014 to $4,500 today.Thirty-one Democratic senators are now demanding answers on the price hike."We are deeply concerned about reports that Kaleo dramatically increased the cost of its naloxone injector device, Evzio, an...

The Food and Drug Administration has approved an easy-to-use version of the life-saving drug that reverses heroin and prescription painkiller overdoses, as communities across the country grapple with a wave of drug abuse. The reformulated drug, sold as Narcan, comes as a nasal spray and should help first responders, police and others deliver the antidote in emergency situations. Known generically as naloxone, the drug reverses the effects of opioids, drugs that include legal painkillers such as oxycodone and illegal narcotics such as heroin. ...