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posted by Fnord666 on Saturday April 07 2018, @02:06AM   Printer-friendly
from the give-it-away dept.

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams has urged more Americans to carry the opioid overdose reversal treatment naloxone, known under brand names such as Narcan and Evzio. However, the drug and its delivery systems have become more expensive in recent years:

As opioid-related deaths have continued to climb, naloxone, a drug that can reverse overdoses, has become an important part of the public health response. When people overdosing struggle to breathe, naloxone can restore normal breathing and save their lives. But the drug has to be given quickly.

On Thursday, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams issued an advisory that encouraged more people to routinely carry naloxone. "The call to action is to recognize if you're at risk," he tells Morning Edition's Rachel Martin. "And if you or a loved one are at risk, keep within reach, know how to use naloxone."

[...] The medicine is now available at retail pharmacies in most states without a prescription. Between 2013 and 2015, researchers found a tenfold increase in naloxone sold by retail pharmacies in the U.S. But prices have increased along with demand. Naloxone-filled syringes that used to cost $6 apiece now cost $30 and up. A two-pack of naloxone nasal spray can cost $135 or more. And a two-pack of automatic naloxone injectors runs more than $3,700. And while it's true that naloxone can prevent many opioid-related deaths, it doesn't solve the root cause of the problem.

Also at NYT and CNN.

Related: Kroger Supermarkets to Carry Naloxone Without a Prescription
Chicago Jail Handing Out Naloxone to Inmates Upon Release
Opioid Crisis Official; Insys Therapeutics Billionaire Founder Charged; Walgreens Stocks Narcan


Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 07 2018, @03:47AM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 07 2018, @03:47AM (#663655)

    You can pretty much burn in hell.

    The reason why you find that there are people who keep doing it over and over again is a lack of proper medical care. Nothing is being done to give these people a reason to kick the habit and very little is provided in terms of help with quitting.

    Shockingly, after probably having lost just about everything, these people struggle to quit the only thing that's keeping them going. Drugs are addictive and without real treatment programs and support, it's unrealistic to expect people to quit. Being almost killed is a motivator, but if there isn't something to live for, it's not a very long term strategy and if you're entire life has gone to shit, it can be exceedingly difficult to maintain the strength and determination necessary to clean up.

    Especially, if you've lost all your friends and the things that people generally agree make life living.

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  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 07 2018, @05:19AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 07 2018, @05:19AM (#663675)

    It's also unrealistic to expect society to be supportive when people get in trouble out of selfishness. Everyone knows that taking hard drugs is like selling your soul to the devil.

    • (Score: 5, Touché) by TheRaven on Saturday April 07 2018, @03:16PM

      by TheRaven (270) on Saturday April 07 2018, @03:16PM (#663746) Journal

      Everyone knows that taking hard drugs is like selling your soul to the devil.

      And for a lot of drug addicts, even knowing that it didn't seem like a worse option than experiencing their lives without chemical assistance. Society might consider how they got into this situation in the first place before branding them selfish.

      --
      sudo mod me up