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  • New Jersey To Give Away Free Naloxone On June 18th

    New Jersey To Give Away Free Naloxone On June 18th

    The lifesaving medication will be available for free at select pharmacies in the state thanks to a new program. 

    New Jersey has launched a progressive initiative to combat the opioid epidemic. Naloxone, the opioid overdose reversing drug, will be available on June 18 for free through select New Jersey pharmacies.

    The pilot program was created through the New Jersey Board of Pharmacy and includes a number of large chain pharmacies including Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS across New Jersey.

    Naloxone, brand name Narcan, is a drug that can be given through injection or nasal spray. Naloxone binds to opioid receptors in the brain and reverses opioid overdose.

    A large study looked at the possible benefits of Narcan availability in combating opioid overdose deaths.

    The paper, published in Addictive Behaviors, found conclusive positive results, and read, “Naloxone access and Good Samaritan laws are associated with 14% and 15% reductions, respectively, in opioid overdose deaths. Among African-Americans, naloxone and Good Samaritan laws reduce opioid overdose deaths by 23% and 26% respectively. Neither of these harm reduction measures result in increases in non-medical opioid use.”

    Not only did naloxone prevent many deaths, it did not have any unintended harmful side effects, such as increased opioid use. The study recommended that all opioid users, including those prescribed opioids for medical reasons, keep naloxone available at home.

    New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is a staunch supporter of the new initiative. “The scourge of opioids continues to devastate families and communities across our state, and we must do everything we can to end the opioid epidemic,” said Murphy. “Through this initiative, people who are battling with addiction will be able to receive access to this critical medication and help them get on a path to recovery.”

    When naloxone is made available for free on June 18th at select pharmacies, it will be given away on a first come, first serve basis, no appointment necessary.

    The NJ Department of Health and the NJ Department of Human Services were recently granted $6 million for a program that will address overprescription of opioids in the medical community.

    New Jersey had over 3,000 opioid overdose deaths last year.

    “We are making the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone available for free on June 18 to help New Jerseyans have the tools they need to support their friends and loved ones and to give us every opportunity to save lives and connect people with opioid addiction to treatment,” said NJ Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson. 

    To see a list of participating pharmacies click here.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Should Big Pharma Cover The Costs Of The Opioid Crisis?

    Should Big Pharma Cover The Costs Of The Opioid Crisis?

    A new poll revealed that 70% of Americans believe drug companies should cover the cost of naloxone and addiction treatment.

    More than half of Americans believe that drug companies should be held liable for their role in fueling the national opioid epidemic, according to a new poll by NPR and the global market research firm Ipsos.

    Drug companies like Purdue Pharma (the maker of OxyContin), Johnson & Johnson and McKesson are facing more than 1,600 civil lawsuits filed by city, state and county officials across the United States.

    These companies are accused of putting profits over public health—whether they aggressively marketed opioids without regard to the risk of addiction or failed to report unusually large amounts of opioids going to pharmacies.

    The poll found that 1 in 3 Americans have been affected by the opioid epidemic. “One in three have been personally affected in some say, either by knowing someone who has overdosed or by knowing someone with an opioid addiction,” said Mallory Newall, lead Ipsos researcher on the survey.

    And 57% of Americans believe that the drug companies should be held responsible for their role in exacerbating the drug crisis.

    “It’s something, no matter your age, your gender, no matter where you live, your party affiliation, that people believe in large numbers,” said Newall.

    Even more people than that—70%—said they believe the drug companies should cover the cost of naloxone, the opioid overdose-reversing drug, as well as addiction treatment.

    On Tuesday (April 23), a drug distributor and two former executives were hit with drug-trafficking charges.

    “This prosecution is the first of its kind: Executives of a pharmaceutical distributor and the distributor itself have been charged with drug trafficking—trafficking the same drugs that are fueling the opioid epidemic that is ravaging this country,” said U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman at a news conference.

    Rochester Drug Cooperative, one of the 10 largest drug distributors in the U.S., allegedly ignored suspicious activity from pharmacy clients who ordered excessive amounts of opioids. According to the indictment, under the direction of former CEO Laurence Doud III, who retired in 2017, the company became “the knight in shining armor” for pharmacies that could not get business elsewhere.

    Doud and other top Rochester executives “made the deliberate decision” to turn a blind eye to red flags or alert federal regulators that clients were ordering opioids to distribute for non-medical use, AP News reported.

    Doud has surrendered to New York authorities and is awaiting arraignment on two counts of conspiracy related to drug trafficking. If convicted, Doud faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.

    View the original article at thefix.com