PENNSYLVANIA — In an effort to combat the increasing number of overdose deaths in Pennsylvania, the state is encouraging pharmacies to keep naloxone on-hand. At a press conference Monday, the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs and Department of Health discussed updates to the naloxone standing order and urged pharmacies statewide to stock naloxone formulations for public use. With more people dying from fentanyl overdoses than ever before, it is important that we take every measure possible to save lives.
Making naloxone readily accessible to all citizens is seen by the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) as an essential way to battle rising deaths from overdoses. As Special Assistant Steve Ross asserted, “Every Pennsylvanian can access naloxone through their local pharmacy using the naloxone standing order.” Through this program, not only can the state’s population obtain naloxone on-demand, but it has been supplemented with different forms of this life-saving drug in order to provide additional resources against the increasingly dangerous fentanyl epidemic. The standing order encourages and allows local pharmacies to stock their shelves with this invaluable commodity, furthering its availability within the commonwealth among those who need it most.
Naloxone is a medication approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to rapidly reverse an opioid overdose by quickly restoring breathing to a person if their breathing has slowed or stopped. Naloxone can be administered by individuals with or without medical training to help reduce opioid overdose deaths. The DOH has resources available to educate people to use the naloxone products available to save lives.
The Wolf Administration instituted the first standing orders allowing the general public and first responders to obtain naloxone from their local pharmacy. In 2022 the standing order expanded to include an eight milligram naloxone nasal spray, ZIMHI, a 5 milligram (mg) intra-muscular injection device, and most recently, a non-prefilled syringe option with two single-dose vials of naloxone that is injectable.
“Naloxone is now available in all four forms, including the most cost-effective non-prefilled syringe and vial version,” said Acting Secretary of Health and Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson. “I want to make it easy for pharmacies to keep naloxone on hand and to provide residents with the option they feel most comfortable using to save a life.”
Pennsylvania also partners with Prevention Point Pittsburgh and NEXT Distro to support a statewide mail-based naloxone program for Pennsylvania residents to request and receive naloxone for free by mail. In August 2022, the Wolf Administration announced that 10,000 requests for naloxone have been filled through the mail-based program, providing almost 36,000 doses of naloxone to people in all 67 counties in Pennsylvania.
Additionally, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s (PCCD) Naloxone for First Responders Program (NFRP) provides and distributes free naloxone to organizations and individuals who may encounter someone experiencing an overdose. Through this program since 2017, Centralized Coordinating Entities (CCEs) distributed 181,247 kits of Narcan and an additional 265,308 kits of Narcan directly to organizations serving high-need communities through its Statewide Portal. More than 22,815 overdose reversals have been reported using state-purchased Narcan.
Learn more about the Wolf Administration’s efforts in combatting the overdose crisis at pa.gov/opioids.
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