A pharmaceutical company has agreed to cap the price of the opioid overdose antidote naloxone and provide a $6 rebate per dose to government agencies that purchase it in wholesale quantities, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office announced Thursday.
According to Schneiderman’s office, Amphastar Pharmaceuticals has also agreed to increase the rebate to match future growth in the price of the antidote.
The $6-per-dose rebate marks a 20 percent drop in the price of naloxone, an agreement reached after Schneiderman penned a letter to Amphastar last year expressing concern that frequent increases to the price of the antidote would render governments agencies unable to purchase it in wholesale quantities.
“It is essential that we secure our state’s access to this powerful, life-saving antidote,” Schneiderman said in a statement. “My office responded swiftly to negotiate the best possible price of naloxone, which is an essential tool in our multifaceted approach to combat the scourge of heroin abuse in New York. This deal ensures that we can continue to give New Yorkers who have overdosed on opioids a second chance at life – and rehabilitation.”
Naloxone – known by its brand name as Narcan – reverses the effects of opioid overdoses. It is typically administered through injection or nasal inhalation.
In 2012, Nassau County became certified in the state’s overdose responder program, enabling its Office of Mental Health & Chemical Dependency to offer free Narcan certification clinics and information sessions amid record fatal heroin and opioid overdoses that year (154).
According to county statistics, there were 159 fatal heroin and opioid overdoses in 2013. In 2014, that figure dropped to 87.
“As part of the Senate’s ongoing efforts to address the heroin and opioid crisis, my colleagues and I have worked very hard to make life-saving naloxone more accessible,” said state Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City). “This agreement is another important step, and I commend the attorney general for his good work.”
During Nassau’s clinics, county health officials at the sessions teach attendees the warning signs of a potential overdose, which include uncontrollable nodding, an inability to respond to stimulation, heavy gurgling or gasping for air and skin, lips and nails that turn blue in color.
Attendees are also taught an eight-step process to administering naloxone that begins with attempting to stimulate the potential overdose victim, calling 911 and conducting CPR before using the revival drug.
If both doses of Narcan have been used, county officials tell attendees to contact the Office of Mental Health & Chemical Dependency to receive additional doses, rather than purchase them from local pharmacies.
The county also keeps records of overdoses in which Narcan is administered.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 10,000 instances have been reported across the country since 2006.
