Mass. Distributes 8,500 Doses of Naloxone

Dec. 02--BOSTON -- Police and firefighters are stopping overdoses -- and saving money -- through a state program that makes bulk purchases of the antidote drug naloxone.

More than 80 cities and towns -- including Haverhill, Beverly, Gloucester and Newburyport -- paid a total of $164,500 for doses of the anti-overdose drug in fiscal year 2016, according to a state Department of Public Health report.

That saved them at least $186,000, according to the report.

Overall, the state distributed 8,500 doses of naloxone to cities and towns.

"We know that naloxone saves lives, and making sure that communities across the state have cheap, reliable access to this antidote is a critical part of our response to the opioid epidemic," said Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel.

In the north of Boston region, Haverhill police bought the most naloxone during the last budget year, which ended July 1. The city's police picked up 525 doses, as well as atomizers used to administer the drug. In addition the city's fire department purchased 218 doses.

Beverly police bought 60 doses, while Andover police and fire picked up 40 doses, according to the report.

Newburyport bought 18 doses.

"It's unfortunate that we have to do it, but it's definitely been a successful program," said Beverly Officer Mark Panjwani, who oversees his department's naloxone purchases.

Beverly police have revived at least 25 overdosing addicts since the department started putting naloxone in its patrol cars about a year ago, while training officers to administer the drug.

An arrangement with Beverly Hospital replaces officers' doses, and the hospital bills patients who've been revived by police.

The police department also stocks 4 milligram nasal naloxone doses, which is sold under the brand name Narcan.

The bulk-buying program was created by lawmakers last year in response to a spike in opioid overdoses that have claimed thousands of lives. The state makes the purchases then sells the antidote to communities at a cost lower than they would otherwise get.

Naloxone counteracts the effects of heroin, OxyContin and other painkillers by blocking certain receptors in the brain.

The state program charges local first-responders $20 per dose. Local governments, schools and others pay the price negotiated by the state, now about $35 a dose.

Naloxone doses bought commercially run between $75 and $100.

Money for the bulk-purchase fund comes from a 2015 agreement between Attorney General Maura Healey and Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, which provided the state $325,000 to acquire and distribute the medicine at reduced rates. Healey was investigating skyrocketing prices for the drug at the time of the settlement.

"Naloxone continues to be a critical intervention tool in the ongoing opioid crisis," she said in a statement. "The bulk-purchasing fund has helped to stabilize costs by addressing dramatic price increases that made the drug expensive for first responders who need to administer this life-saving tool."

To date, about 120 communities have signed onto the program -- some after the 2016 fiscal year -- and the bulk-purchasing trust fund still has about $200,000, said Health Department spokesman Tom Lyons. Even if that money dries up, cities and towns will still be able to get lower-cost naloxone doses from the state, he said.

Other programs give money to police and fire departments in high-risk areas to buy naloxone, and to train first-responders to administer it. The Legislature put $1 million toward those programs in the current budget.

First-responders also get help purchasing naloxone through agreements with local pharmacies and hospitals, as well as the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative, founded by former Gloucester Police Chief Leonard Campanello.

Like most states, Massachusetts has experienced a surge of fatal, opioid-related overdoses. Estimates show 1,488 deaths from overdoses from January to September this year, according to health officials. That number is expected to increase.

Last year, overdoses claimed 1,747 lives statewide, including 236 in Essex County.

"It's absolutely devastating to see the number of lives that have been lost," Bharel said.

Naloxone is available to the public as an injectable product or a nasal spray sold by pharmacies.

In addition to police and firefighters, school districts have also stocked up on the drug.

Last month, the state Office of Emergency Medical Services updated its policies to allow police, fire and other emergency personnel to carry doses of naloxone nasal spray up to 4 milligrams. Previously they were limited to 2 milligrams.

Stronger doses, or multiple doses, are sometimes needed to revive patients who've used substances laced with fentanyl, because of its higher potency, first-responders report.

The health department predicts that cities and towns will order a similar number of naloxone doses over the next year, "given the severity of the current opioid epidemic and the rising overdose death rate."

Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group's newspapers and websites.

Copyright 2016 - The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.