The chief doctor of the country wants more Americans begin to overdose antidote naloxone to combat the opioid crisis in the country and to save lives.
Speaking at the National RX drug abuse & heroin summit in Atlanta Thursday morning, surgeon General of the U.S. Dr. Jerome Adams has released his first the office of the national Advisory of public health in 13 years.
Adams said he hopes that those who are at risk, as well as their friends and family members will keep the antidote on hand and learn how to use it.
“You don’t have to be a policeman or a fireman or an ambulance, to save lives,” said Adams, who noted that more than half of deaths from opioid overdose in the United States occur at home.
According to Federal data, more than 42 000 Americans suffer fatal opioid overdoses in 2016, more than double the number of those who died in 2010.
Naloxone can restore breathing after it is injected or sprayed into the nostrils, quickly bringing overdose victims back from the dead.
The drug, which is often called the brand name Narcan available without a prescription in many States and is regularly used in emergency response across the country. Another product, Evzio, is available by prescription and delivers the naloxone through a hand-held auto-injector.
Adams said that 95 percent of all insured Americans are covered with buy naloxone. Emergency services and public organizations can buy Narcan nasal spray, one of the most widely available products, for Group discounts from 37.50 $per dose, drug manufacturer of farm to adapt said in a press release.
Versatile, injecting version of naloxone cheaper.
For those who don’t have insurance, Narcan can cost about $ 80 per dose, but the antidote is often available at little or no cost through local public health programs, said Adams. The General surgeon also wants more Federal funds allocated for increasing the availability of naloxone at the local levels.
“Costs should not and, in the near future, will not be a barrier to access to naloxone for those in America,” said Adams.
From July 2017, all 50 States had adopted laws improving access to naloxone, according to the network for public health law, a nonprofit organization that helps public agencies.
Republican Maine Governor Paul Lepage was one of the most outspoken opponents to the press, claiming that naloxone has not cured addiction, and only deters people from seeking essentially offering a safety net if they do not overdose.
Supporters, however, argue that widespread access to naloxone is not to attract people to illicit drug use and dependence formation.
Adams said that the naloxone will not single-handedly solve the opioid crisis and instead should use “combined with expanded access to evidence-based treatment”.
“There are people who think that naloxone does not matter: you are only going and and substance abuse,” Adams said. “What would happen if I said I’m not going to do CPR on someone having a heart attack, because if we save them, they’re just going to go out there and eat fast food and to come back again and again.”
The recommendation of Adams, so that more people have naloxone comes a month after the Department of health of Philadelphia urged residents to do the same.
Prior to his current position, Adams was the health Commissioner of Indiana, where he promoted needle exchange program to curb the spread of disease among injecting drug users.
The last surgeon public health Advisory was issued in 2005 and is focused on prenatal exposure to alcohol.
—
Follow Rico www.twitter.com/RJRico62
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
