The opioid epidemic in the U.S. has reached astronomical numbers over the past 5 years. thousands of Americans lose their lives to overdoses every single day.
It’s rare not to know of at least one person who has passed away from the Opioid epidemic. According to a report by NOLA.COM and the Bipartisan Policy Center, overdoses from opioids claimed the lives of over 1,000 Louisiana residents between 2015 – 2017.
Lifesaving drugs, including Narcan, can be the only effective tool in helping stopping overdoses in real-time. For those that live in Louisiana, the state just passed a law to help patients receive the drug even faster.
Starting this week, Louisiana is 1 of 35 states allowing online orders for naloxone on the website NaloxoneExchange.com, run by the company Script Health. Those ordering need to provide their information, and watch a short instructional video on how to use Naloxone. A few days later, the package arrives at their door, ready to use.
The news was announced by Dr. Rebekah Gee, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), in a tweet last Thursday.
Today Naloxone will be available online in Louisiana through https://t.co/XAVzrADl65. Naloxone can now be delivered directly to your home or office location. This is an exciting addition to the standing order I wrote for our state 3 years ago. Naloxone saves lives!
— Rebekah Gee (@rebekahgeemd) August 29, 2019
However, the price is not cheap. Naloxone is not covered by insurance, so it starts at $99 for two doses of medication, along with two nasal atomizers. It rises to $158 for two doses of Narcan, the brand-name version of naloxone.
This push for readily available Naloxone and Narcan was created by one of our very own: James Lott. Lott is a Baton Rouge native and pharmacist who founded a business aimed to get naloxone in the hands of as many people as possible. This is certainly the step in the right direction, one that Lott has advocated for.
Read the full story, including what the state of Lousiana is doing to combat the opioid crisis in our great state, here.
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