Patients in six American states will have free access to the Evzio naloxone auto-injector which is a medication used for reversing an opioid overdose. This is a very important medication that is available by way of a pilot program since America currently has an opioid epidemic which has been declared a public health emergency.
The six states which will have the naloxone auto-injectors available include:
- California
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Nevada
- Missouri
- Ohio
The United States Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome Adams, called for naloxone to be more readily accessible to those individuals who are at risk of overdosing on opioid medications. He also mentioned that friends and family members of such individuals should also be supplied with the naloxone auto-injector to use on the person overdosing on the narcotics.
In a statement, Dr. Adams mentioned the following:
- 77 percent of opioid-related deaths occur outside a medical setting with the majority taking place at home.
- Increased naloxone availability should occur in conjunction with increased access to evidence-based therapies for substance use disorders associated with opioids.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 115 Americans die daily from overdosing on opioid medications. In 2016, more than 42,000 people died from an opioid overdose and this rose to over 66,000 in 2017. This is why having naloxone available, which reverses the effects of opioids, is a very important step in attempting to curb the death rate caused by this crisis.
How to Receive the Naloxone Auto-Injector
Patients with commercial insurances will be able to receive the naloxone auto-injector without a prescription and without having to pay anything by calling a toll-free number and speaking to a pharmacist.
There is no fee for the device because it is available through the pharmaceutical company that developed the product, Kaleo’s, virtual standing order program. The device is then delivered to the individual’s home address once ordered.
If a patient doesn’t have government or commercial insurance and whose total income is less than $100,000 annually, Kaleo offers a Patient Assistance Program that makes the device available for free out-of-pocket.
Kaleo also says that they plan to extend their pilot program to additional states and hopefully the auto-injecting device will be available to more individuals around the United States to help prevent deaths as a result of opioid overdosing.
Pacific Bay Recovery
Pacific Bay Recovery is a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center based in San Diego and they deal with and manage patients who are dependent and addicted to medications and drugs such as opioids.
The services offered by the rehabilitation center include:
- Inpatient programs for withdrawing patients from offending drugs as well as psychology, and occupational therapy sessions.
- Psychiatry consultations for those who have any underlying mental health conditions.
- Group therapy sessions for patients to help them relate to others with similar issues as themselves.
- Outpatient programs for those who are assessed as being able to benefit from such a service.
The healthcare professionals at Pacific Bay Recovery help patients to discontinue using offending drugs in order to reduce health-related complications that may occur as a result of opioid use and to improve their social and occupational situations at home and at work.
