Fitzpatrick Urges Airlines To Carry Anti-Overdose Drug

Bucks County U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick is urging airlines, ahead of the busy holiday travel period, to fly with a drug designed to fight opioid overdoses.

Fitzpatrick has written a letter urging airlines to carry medication such as naloxone to make air travel safer. The request comes after a fatal overdose on board a commercial flight over the summer, Fitzpatrick's office said.

"Naloxone is a critical, life-saving drug. Flight crews should be equipped to handle any medical emergency,” said Fitzpatrick. “Carrying naloxone is an easy way for airlines to ensure the safety of their passengers. I’m glad to see that several airlines have begun carrying naloxone on commercial flights, and I hope to see others soon follow."

According to Fitzpatrick's office, air carriers including American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and Alaska Airlines already have voluntarily agreed to stock naloxone on their planes.

The letter, along with letters from two other lawmakers, was sent to the CEOs of Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and Allegiant Air.

The letters, sent this week, follow correspondence with officials from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in August that was led by Fitzpatrick and requested regulations requiring the inclusion of naloxone in emergency medical kits of all certified passenger aircraft.

In a response, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson acknowledged "the need to update emergency medical kits to include opioid antagonists."

In July, a passenger reportedly died of an overdose during a Delta flight from Boston to Los Angeles. Flight attendants tried to respond to the medical emergency, but didn't have immediate access to medicine designed to reverse the effects of an overdose.

Fitzpatrick's efforts are backed by the Association of Flight Attendants.

"We urge all airlines to carry naloxone on board as soon as possible," said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents 50,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines. "Responding to opioid overdoses with life-saving medication like naloxone is essential and should be included in emergency medical kits on board."

Over the last 20 years, the opioid overdose epidemic has claimed the lives of over 400,000 Americans, including an estimated 70,000 in 2017, Fitzpatrick's office said.