naloxone

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Big Drop in OD Deaths: 'This Has Not Happened by Accident'

Preliminary data from CDC shows 10% decrease in overdose deaths in 12-month span ending in April

(Newser) - Partly due to fentanyl rampaging through the narcotics pipeline, the United States has seen a depressingly high death count from drug overdoses in recent years. Now, however, signs of improvement: According to preliminary data from the states released in August by the CDC , there was a 10% drop in that...

After Fentanyl-Laced Letters, Officials Stock Up on Naloxone

Elections officials around the country are feeling threatened in wake of opioid-laced letters

(Newser) - The suspicious letters sent to vote centers and government buildings in six states this month were undeniably scary, some containing traces of fentanyl or white powder, accompanied by not-so-veiled threats and dubious political symbols. Harkening back to the anthrax attacks that killed five people in 2001, the AP reports that...

Puppy Given Naloxone After Possible Fentanyl OD

8-week-old puppy made a full recovery

(Newser) - Naloxone, the opioid overdose-reversing drug, was used not on a human but on a puppy in southern California last week. Irvine police officers say the pit bull puppy appeared to have been exposed to fentanyl and recovered quickly after the drug, also known as Narcan, was administered via nasal spray,...

FDA Approves OTC Narcan
You Will Be Able
to Buy Narcan OTC
Mar 29, 2023 8:41 AM CDT

You Will Be Able to Buy Narcan OTC

FDA gives the thumbs-up for drug to be sold over the counter

(Newser) - The FDA on Wednesday approved selling naloxone without a prescription, setting the overdose-reversing drug on course to become the first opioid treatment drug to be sold over the counter. It’s a move that some advocates have long sought as a way to improve access to a life-saving drug, reports...

In California, an 'Extraordinary Move' on Insulin

Gov. Gavin Newsom announces $50M partnership with Civica Rx to make $30 vials of diabetic drug

(Newser) - Last summer, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that his state planned to manufacture its own, more affordable, insulin for diabetics there. Now, California has moved a step closer to making that a reality. Newsom, who's on a statewide road trip to talk about his administration's policies, made a...

Narcan Could Soon Be Available Over the Counter

FDA panels support change making overdose-reversing drug much more widely available

(Newser) - Two panels of Food and Drug Administration advisers have unanimously recommended that Narcan be made available over the counter, a move that could help reduce deaths in the ongoing opioid epidemic. The overdose-reducing nasal spray, known generically as naloxone, is already widely used by first responders and outreach workers. But...

Deaths Spike as OD Antidote Price Soars

Expert attributes thousands of deaths to greed amid naxolone supply issues

(Newser) - The US has seen a record high in overdose deaths during the pandemic, and an addiction expert says "we can expect even more fatal overdoses" now that a medication that reverses overdoses has jumped up to 30 times in price. The Opioid Safety and Naloxone Network Buyers Club, a...

1 Dead, 12 Hospitalized After Calif. 'Mass Overdose'

Police believe fentanyl is to blame

(Newser) - The powerful opioid fentanyl is believed to have caused what police in Chico, Calif., are calling a "mass casualty incident" Saturday morning. Authorities say one person died and another 12 were hospitalized after a mass overdose. Chico Fire Department Chief Steve Standridge says every ambulance in the city was...

'Lifesaving' Item the Surgeon General Wants Us to Carry

Jerome Adams wants more Americans to keep naloxone on hand to prevent fatal overdoses

(Newser) - The US' chief doctor wants more Americans to carry the overdose antidote naloxone to help combat the nation's opioid crisis and save lives. US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams was to speak about the new public health advisory Thursday at the National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit in...

Smart Thinking Saves Pet Rat After Heroin Overdose

Snuggles recovering after her overdose

(Newser) - The heroin epidemic has made its way to Vancouver, British Columbia, and even the rats are being felled. In the case of Snuggles, a pet rat rushed into the Overdose Prevention Society on Sunday, volunteers were actually able to save her life after a quick-thinking pharmacy student administered naloxone (aka...

Judge Orders Heroin Dealers to Pay for Antidotes

But they'll serve years in prison first

(Newser) - Fatal drug overdoses have jumped about 40% in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area in recent years, a trend one judge hopes an unusual punishment will help reverse. In two cases this week, Judge Anthony Mariani ordered drug dealers to pay $50 to local EMS for each brick of heroin they...

CVS Makes Big Move in Fight Against Heroin Deaths

Stores in 14 states can now offer overdose-antidote drug naloxone without prescription

(Newser) - People in 14 states can now walk into a CVS and pick up an opioid-overdose antidote without a prescription, the company announced yesterday. Naloxone was already available in stores in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, but now Arkansas, California, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah,...

In 2 Years, Heroin Deaths Double

Heroin-related deaths double over 28 states from 2010 to 2012: study

(Newser) - Heroin deaths are rising as deaths related to prescription painkiller overdoses decline, a report finds. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says heroin-related deaths doubled from 2010 to 2012, based on data from 28 states, HealthDay reports. Each state saw a boost in heroin-related deaths—and in the Northeast,...

NYPD Cops' New Weapon: Heroin Antidote

About 20K cops will be armed with naloxone

(Newser) - Heroin use is spiking so dramatically that the NYPD is adding a new tool to its arsenal: an antidote. About 20,000 officers, or more than half the force, will soon start carrying the drug naloxone to treat drug users suffering an overdose, reports the Daily News . The kits cost...

You'll Soon Be Able to Buy Heroin Overdose Antidote

Gets FDA's OK

(Newser) - Friends and family will be now able to take the first step to save a loved one from an overdose of heroin or powerful painkillers called opioids, including OxyContin and Vicodin. The Food and Drug Administration has approved an easy-to-use device that automatically injects the right dose of an overdose...

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