Deaths from prescription opioid have increased multifold in the United States. Inverse reported that the number of fatalities has quadrupled since 1999. Reports suggest that the adverse effect of opioid is likely to manifest in both medical and recreational users.
The US is in a crisis when it comes to opioid, and one of the primary ways to tackle the ill effects of the opioid will soon be accessible only the wealthy. Kaleo, the manufacturers of the antidote to opioid, has increased the price of the naloxone injector to $4,500 for two packs.
Naloxone is used to reverse the overdose of opioid, and now with the massive hike in price, it will not be within the means of a majority of the opioid users. The drug companies have suddenly increased the price of their life-saving medicines, which has seen heavy criticism.
Apart from the naloxone, the price of Daraprim was raised back in 2015. The Daraprim is a life-saver for HIV patients, and last year Mylan also increased the price of EpiPen, which is used to reverse allergic reaction.
Naloxone worked like magic against opioid overdose. It would knock the molecules of opioid from the receptors of the brain. This immediately stopped the opioid from affecting the system. The amount of naloxone used to counter the effects of opioid effectively depends on the quantity of opioid consumed by the individual.
There are several other opioid overdose reversal medications, but Naloxone became popular since it was easy to use. The best feature of the drug was that it contained a voice instruction on how to administer the drug.
This helped a novice to use the drug without any hassle. The instructions are easy to follow and can be used to reverse the overdose of opioid. The Evzio injector was launched in 2014 when two packs cost $650. It has now become $4,500, and many would not be able to afford it.
The Food and Drug Administration first approved the overdose-reversing drug in 1971. The pharmaceutical companies then cashed on the heroin epidemic and made a fortune out of naloxone. Vox reported that the Evzio is the first injector formulation, which is highly helpful since it doesn’t require a doctor to administer. This increases the chance of survival multifold.
In the case of an overdose, the patient might not have time to reach a professional, and the ease of using naloxone goes a long way in securing a person’s life.
Drug overdose is rampant in the USA and ends up killing more people than gun violence! Given the misuse of drugs in the country, the importance of antidotes is high. However, the pharmaceutical companies are raising their prices thereby making in unreachable to people.
Kaleo has come out to justify their price hike. The company said that for an easy to use the drug that can serve as a lifesaver, the price for the same is warranted. Reports suggest that even though the company claims that their pricing policy is fair, the price is way beyond what they spend in production.
Reports claim that the pharmaceutical companies charge whatever they want from the drugs since they are in a position to do that. In the US, the government doesn’t have much of a say when it comes to the production of drugs. In single-payer health systems, the government has a say and exerts influence on the manufacturing of healthcare products.