Together, the firms have given 4,000 doses of Narcan nasal spray to Illinois’ Opioid Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force, and 1,000 doses to the McHenry County Substance Abuse Coalition.
The donation teams Adapt Pharma’s Narcan (naloxone hydrochloride) – indicated to treat known or suspected opioid overdose – with Aptar’s Unit-Dose System (UDS).
Aptar spokesperson Matt DellaMaria told us naloxone has previously been sold in injectable forms, including in auto-injectors and modified syringes, but Aptar’s ready-to-use device offers a simpler, ‘one-shot’ method.
“Our unit-dose Nasal Spray System delivers a single dose of medication with the simple push of the thumb,” said DellaMaria.
DellaMaria told us the technology is unique “in that it delivers a precise dose [4 mg of naloxone] in one simply spray, requires no preparation or training to use, and is highly portable – thus easy to carry by patients and first responders.”
“Anyone can use the device, no assembly, no training, no needles or syringes,” he added.
First responders and support networks
“I think the ultimate goal is to make Narcan available to those who cannot easily access it and to provide some first responders (such as the Illinois State Police) and support networks (such as the Illinois Department of Health, Chicago Recovery Alliance) have a supply for their programmes helping those at risk,” DellaMaria told us.
The donation will “largely impact” the Illinois State Police in the line of action, the firms said in a joint statement.
It will also provide parole agents a tool to help save lives in the field, they added.