Thread: Narcan doses delivered by paramedics more than doubled

An effective tool to fight the opioid war.

Narcan doses delivered by paramedics more than doubled

Monday, February 26th 2018, 6:04 pm CSTTuesday, February 27th 2018, 3:54 pm CST
By Melissa Hodges, Anchor

Paramedic kit. (Source: WALB)


Sam Allen. (Source: WALB)

DOUGHERTY CO., GA (WALB) -Dougherty County paramedics are administering more than twice the amount of life-saving Narcan doses now.

The head of the county's EMS told elected leaders at Dougherty County's commission meeting on Monday that paramedics have dispensed 70 doses of the opioid inhibitor in 15 months.

It's blowing their pharmaceutical budget out of the water.

"Our budget is set at a certain amount for pharmaceuticals. But, when you factor in the additional that we have been dispensing out because of opioid overdose, we are looking at an additional $2,700 in expenses that initially wasn't budgeted in the previous budget year," explained Director of the Dougherty County EMS Sam Allen.

Allen said in prior years, it was normal for paramedics to administer one or two Narcan doses a month.

http://www.walb.com/story/37596826/n...e-than-doubled

Well worth the additional $2,700. Best money they spent all year in my opinion.

Good info for anyone that has a family member or loved one at risk..

Four Klein's ShopRite pharmacies in Harford offering free doses of Narcan until July 1

Erika ButlerContact Reporter

Four of the Klein’s ShopRite stores pharmacies in Harford County are offering free doses of Narcan nasal spray beginning Wednesday through July 1, or as long as supplies last.

Participating pharmacies are Klein’s ShopRite of Main Street, Klein's ShopRite of Forest Hill, Klein's ShopRite of Aberdeen and Klein’s ShopRite at Festival of Bel Air.

The pilot program is part of an effort by the Harford Local Addictions Authority, a branch of the Health Department of Harford County, to increase access to Narcan, Molly Mraz, a spokesperson for the Harford County Health Department, said.

Narcan, whose generic name is naloxone, reverses the effects of heroin and is administered to people suffering from overdoses.

Butch Henderson, pharmacy director for all nine Klein’s ShopRite stores in the region — including one in Baltimore and two in Baltimore County — said Narcan doses have been available at pharmacies, when in stock, since a standing order was implemented in June 2017 by Maryland Department of Public Health.

Because of its arrangement with the Harford Health Department, the free doses are only available at the four participating Harford County Klein’s ShopRite pharmacies, he said. Other pharmacies charge a fee for the doses.

“Their goal is to increase access. Before they could only get it at the Health Department, now they’ll be able to get it at the health department and ShopRite,” Mraz said. “We want to see if it’s going to work.”

While distribution of Narcan is done at the discretion of the pharmacists at each participating Klein’s store, anyone who is seeking more than two doses will be directed to Wendy Kanely, of the Health Department, who works with the naloxone program, Mraz said. Kanely can be reached at wendy.kanelly@maryland.gov.

The four pharmacies participating are stores the health department also has a contract with for its nicotine replacement therapy program.
“So we’re piggybacking on that,” Mraz said.

“Part of what we want to let the public know is that anybody has access to Narcan,” Henderson said.

Pharmacists will try to go through a person’s insurance to see if all or part of a Narcan dose is covered, but some people don’t want to use their insurance because of a perceived stigma to it, according to Henderson.

“Chances are they’re not getting it for themselves, they’re getting it for a family member or neighbor, someone they’re concerned about,” he said.

Ideally, pharmacists still will try to go through insurance first, thereby saving the free doses for people who are either uninsured or underinsured, he said.

Through this program, which is covered through a grant that expires July 1, the county health department has access to more free kits, he said.

“It shouldn’t be an issue of people dying in the county because they don’t have access to Narcan to help these people,” Henderson said. “The question is how are we going to get it to them.”

Harford County had more than 80 fatal opioid related overdoses last year.

There are no restrictions under the program, Henderson emphasized.

“If someone comes in and needs it and doesn’t want to bill their insurance and doesn’t want to pay for it we’re going to give them a free kit,” he said.

The Klein’s ShopRite pharmacies are distributing the nasal spray because it’s the easiest and most cost-effective to administer and train people on how to use.

“What it comes down to is saving lives,” Henderson said. “This is the best chance, this is the best shot if we see someone who has overdosed on an opiate or heroin, we can save their life and give them a second shot. It doesn’t always work, but it’s the only thing you can do.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/mar...216-story.html

IT IS NOT FREE!

IT WILL BE BILLED TO TAXPAYERS.

PAY FOR YOUR OWN DRUGS TO O.D. AND YOU CAN PAY FOR YOUR OWN DAMN NARCON!

Beezer, paramedics give all patients on all calls various medicines they need to survive to get to the hospital. These patients are no different and are entitled to nothing less than what any life-saving medicine does on an ambulance. County EMS services send out invoices, they bill insurance companies and patients alike. None of it is free. At least not here in my city.

“If someone comes in and needs it and doesn’t want to bill their insurance and doesn’t want to pay for it we’re going to give them a free kit,” he said.

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I do not want to pay for my insurance premiums, do not want to pay for my medicine or Doctor's appointments....where do I sign up to get it FREE because "I don't want to"?

This Narcon is not cheap, now they have Narcon parties to try to OD to the "edge" and see how much of it they can get to "come back".

I do not feel sorry for these people and it is not free!

Originally Posted by Beezer

IT IS NOT FREE!

IT WILL BE BILLED TO TAXPAYERS.

PAY FOR YOUR OWN DRUGS TO O.D. AND YOU CAN PAY FOR YOUR OWN DAMN NARCON!

LOL!! We were talking about 2 different articles. I'm talking about paramedics and no that is not free, you're billed for the trip that includes medicines, IV's, pain medication, blood, whatever they carry on the ambulance and they should carry NARCAN. You're talking about the second article where the pharmacists and I guess some county office are handing out a nasal spray version for free under a grant program. On handing it out for free, no, I think they should just sell it over the counter at Walmart. Walmart will negotiate a good price. Group purchasers pay $37.50 per dose in a package of 2, so $75 for a "kit". Their families can buy it for them if the individual doesn't have the money for it for some reason. Not sure how they support a heroin addiction with no money, but .... whatever.

https://www.narcan.com/affordability

Where does the "Grant" money come from? Our taxes.

A lot of these families are enablers by buying them food, paying their bills, car payments, party with them, drink with them. They can't keep a job. Make excuses for them.

Not all these families are model citizens either. Then these addicts get pregnant and taxpayers pay for that, the baby is messed up and ends up in Foster.

It is a big problem...and we should not have to pay for it. It is not that cut and dried that poor Johnnie has a drug problem...I really do not care and it is not my responsibility to pay for it.

Sell it at Wal-mart, CVS...but NO more free stuff!

Now cities want to give them "safe" place to shoot up and PROVIDE them FREE needles...hell no!

Don't know if it's a state grant, federal grant, or what type of grant, but that's only for the pharmacies and county offices for the nasal spray version. It's not expensive, just tell them to go to Walmart and buy it. No need to give it to them.

Originally Posted by Beezer

IT IS NOT FREE!

IT WILL BE BILLED TO TAXPAYERS.

PAY FOR YOUR OWN DRUGS TO O.D. AND YOU CAN PAY FOR YOUR OWN DAMN NARCON!

The company that produces the nasal spray, Adapt Pharma, is donating thousands of doses and discounting the price to communities.


5,000 Doses of Lifesaving Narcan Donated to Illinois

Kristen Thometz | February 9, 2018 1:39 pm

NARCAN® Nasal Spray (Courtesy of Adapt Pharma)

In 2016, nearly 1,950 people died of opioid overdoses in Illinois – an 82-percent increase in just three years, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, are disproportionately contributing to the rise of both fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the state, with a tenfold increase from 2013 to 2016.

Officials working to fight the opioid epidemic across the state got a boost this week with the donation of 5,000 doses of the lifesaving nasal spray Narcan, which is administered to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses.

A total of 3,400 doses will be given to the Illinois State Police and the Department of Corrections, and 600 will be go to the Chicago Recovery Alliance, which has been distributing naloxone to drug users for 20 years.

Dr. Suzanne Carlsberg-Rachich, director of research at Chicago Recovery Alliance, said the donation will allow the organization to continue its “critical work” in the community. Twenty years ago, she says the group “knew the best place to put naloxone was in the hands of people who were actually using drugs and that’s turned out to be true and demonstrated in research as well.” The more accessible naloxone is, the fewer overdose deaths there are, she said.

The donations were made by Adapt Pharma, the pharmaceutical company that makes Narcan nasal spray, and AptarGroup, a Crystal-Lake based company that supplies a range of drug delivery and dispensing solutions for consumer health care.

“Opioids are, of course, detrimental and paralyzing to our communities,” said Stephan Tanda, CEO of Aptar. “There is no doubt that making Narcan more accessible to those who need it is most critical to helping our community fight the opioid crisis and save lives.”

An additional 1,000 doses of Narcan were scheduled to be given to the McHenry County Substance Abuse Coalition on Friday.

https://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2018...nated-illinois




From Adapt Pharma's website


COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

In response to the growing opioid overdose crisis in communities across the nation, ADAPT Pharma partners with state and local communities and organizations to support efforts educating people about curbing opioid abuse and about the appropriate use of opioid prescription medications, and efforts to implement scaled-up naloxone access and distribution policies.

SUPPORT FOR SCHOOLS

ADAPT Pharma understands the crucial role that high schools, colleges and universities, in addition to other organizations, can play to change the course of the opioid overdose epidemic.

To this end, ADAPT Pharma has provided grants to professional and community-based organizations for educational efforts about opioid abuse and the risks of opioid medications in the community. ADAPT will work with each State Department of Education and Health or individual school to help prepare high schools, colleges and universities in the country for an opioid overdose emergency by providing NARCAN® Nasal Spray. ADAPT will provide access to 1 carton of NARCAN® Nasal Spray to high schools throughout the country and up to 4 cartons for a Title IV degree-granting college and university at no cost.

For ordering information, please download the form in the link below and send to schoolsprogram@adaptpharma.com or call Adapt at 1-844-4-NARCAN (844) 462-7226.
High schools click here to download order form.

Colleges and Universities click here to download order form.





U.S. COMMUNITIES

ADAPT Pharma, in partnership with the National Association of Counties, National Governors Association, National League of Cities and United States Conference of Mayors, will offer NARCAN® Nasal Spray at a discounted Public Interest Price through the U.S. Communities Purchasing Alliance and Premier, Inc.

U.S. Communities members click here to order.


MINNESOTA MULTISTATE CONTRACTING ALLIANCE FOR PHARMACY (MMCAP)

ADAPT Pharma, in partnership with Minnesota Multistate Contracting Alliance for Pharmacy (MMCAP), offers NARCAN® Nasal Spray to approved MMCAP members at a discounted contracted price. For purchases through Cardinal Health or Morris & Dickson, MMCAP members receive the contracted price plus an additional Cost of Goods Discount. MMCAP members must complete the Declaration Form to gain access to contracted pricing. MMCAP membership is open to government entities. More information can be found at www.mmcap.org.
MMCAP members click here to download the Declaration Form.



https://www.narcan.com/partnerships


Adapt Pharma is a privately held company. the patents are held by Opiant Pharmaceuticals. (OPNT)

http://adaptpharma.com/