Rebates to aid access to overdose reversal drug in Ohio
Availability of a drug that reverses deadly overdoses may be better than officials anticipated thanks to a rebate that will help offset its cost, which more than doubled in 2014.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced Wednesday that Ohio has reached an agreement with naloxone manufacturer Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Inc. to provide a $6 rebate for each syringe purchased by nonfederal public entities throughout the state through March 1, 2016.
The cost of the drug rose from about $14 in early 2014 to $28.50 in October.
Previously: Is life-saving drug priced too high?
The use of the drug to counter opioid overdoses is steadily growing in Ohio. In 2014, at least 15,234 doses were administered throughout the state, a 26 percent increase from 2013, according to data from the Ohio Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Medical Services, EMS Incident Reporting System. The actual figure is likely higher because not all EMS agencies report information.
“Because we were able to secure these rebates, law enforcement and other agencies can use the money they save to buy more doses of naloxone. The more doses that are available, the more lives that can be saved,” DeWine said in a news release.
Ohio legislators continue to review legislation to expand access to the drug.
On Wednesday, the House approved a bill that seeks to eliminate the requirement that friends and family members of addicts have a prescription to access naloxone. The bill, which now heads to the Senate, also would permit pharmacies to distribute naloxone as long as certain rules are followed.
Although the House voted unanimously to pass the bill, Rep. Ron Young, R-Leroy, expressed concerns that by expanding overdose protection it may encourage addiction, at least in some cases.
“Why not use it if they know their aunt has the antidote just in case it’s the wrong stuff?” Young said just before the vote.
The proposed bill expands on one passed into a law about a year ago that protected friends and family members who administer the drug from prosecution. That bill also removed restrictions to allow more first responders, such as police officers and basic emergency medical technicians, to administer the drug to someone having an overdose.
The drug blocks opioid receptors, and when it’s sprayed into the nostrils or injected into muscle, depressed breathing can be restored to normal.
The agreement with Amphastar is good news for the state’s fledgling Project DAWN program, which provides a nasal form of the drug and training for free to the community. The goal of the program, which is active in nine counties, is to provide the life-saving drug to people around opiate drug abusers in an attempt to lower overdose deaths across the state.
In December, officials were reporting they were ordering less of the drug because of the increased cost. The Ohio Department of Health does not track how many kits are dispersed through Project Dawn.
Public entities that qualify for the rebates include, but are not limited to, law enforcement agencies, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Project DAWN community programs, and county and local governments.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
jison@gannett.com
Twitter: @JonaIson