Mass. Attorney General Secures Lower Narcan Rates for Police Departments

By CHARLENE ARSENAULT

In an effort to make the life-saving drug Naloxone more widely available to police and firefighters statewide, Attorney General Maura Healey on Tuesday announced that her office has reached an agreement with Amphastar Pharmaceutical that will require the company to pay $325,000 to help offset the costs of the drug that counters the effects of opioid overdose, said an annoucement.

This is the first-of-its kind payment from this manufacturer to a state, and it will go directly into the Commonwealth’s Municipal Naloxone Bulk Purchase Trust Fund, approved in the state budget this past July to increase access to the nasal spray version of Naloxone through a discounted program.

The payment of $325,000 equals nearly the cost of 10,000 units of naloxone. Initially the trust was established with $150,000 in state funding, or roughly 15,000 doses.

“The demand for Narcan to help save the lives of overdose victims has risen sharply, and with that, so has the price, making it tough for police and fire departments to access this critical drug,” AG Healey said in a statement. “This money will help us get Narcan into the hands of every first responder, giving them a tool they need to help save lives.”

The agreement with California-based Amphastar resolves AG Healey’s concerns over the sharp price increase for Naloxone (which is the generic version of Narcan) in late 2014, when the wholesale price more than doubled from less than $15 per dose to more than $30, said the announcement.

Although the purchase price from distributors has varied between municipalities, some first responders report to the AG as having paid more than $65 for a single unit of the drug.

Norfolk County District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey praised the work of AG Healey and the Legislature securing a constant, discounted supply of the opiate overdose reversal drug Naloxone for police and fire departments across the state.

“We purchased 900 doses of naloxone to provide to all of our police and fire departments in March of 2014, and we paid roughly $22 a dose,” DA Morrissey said. “Some of our municipalities were using those doses very quickly. When we offered grants to help replenish those supplies, we saw that the prices were inconsistent and rising, with Walpole paying $37.50 per dose, Randolph paying $39 per dose, and then Needham and Wrentham paying $66.89 for the same dose. We knew something was wrong with this picture.”

Former Gov. Deval Patrick declared opioid addiction a public health emergency in March, 2014.

Naloxone is a medication that reverses an overdose from heroin or other opioids. It cannot be used to get high and is not addictive.

The announcement comes as the world marks International Overdose Awareness Day. In Massachusetts last year, the heroin and opioid epidemic claimed the lives of more than 1,200 people.