MEDIA CONTACT: Stephany Dugan - ra-dapressoffice@pa.gov
Harrisburg, PA - Today, the Shapiro Administration announced more than one million doses of naloxone have been purchased and distributed statewide through the Naloxone for First Responders Program (NFRP), housed within the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD).
Just as important are the more than 24,000 opioid overdose reversals that have been reported using naloxone provided by the state program.
“Naloxone saves lives. That is why access to and distribution of this opioid overdose reversal medication is so critical,” said Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Acting Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones. “We are proud to work with our state and local partners every day to keep Pennsylvanians alive and decrease the chances of a fatal overdose. The Shapiro Administration is committed to making naloxone readily available.”
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. Narcan® is a particular brand of naloxone that was recently approved by the FDA as an over-the-counter (OTC) medication.
“Naloxone is a proven and effective medicine that can save the life of a person who overdoses from an opioid,” said Acting Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen. “While naloxone is extremely effective at saving lives, we must continue to focus on a wide range of harm reduction strategies, including helping people get treatment for substance use disorders and associated health challenges.”
The PCCD’s NFRP distributes free naloxone to organizations and individuals who may encounter someone experiencing an overdose. A wide range of community-based organizations, agencies, and other entities are eligible to receive a supply of intranasal naloxone at no cost through a network of Centralized Coordinating Entities (CCEs) across the state, or through PCCD’s NFRP request form.
“PCCD is proud of our work in partnership with state and local agencies to get naloxone into the hands of people who need it,” said PCCD Executive Director Michael Pennington. “Overdose and substance use impact so many lives, and naloxone is a powerful tool to help fight the opioid crisis.”
Since 2017, 656,568 kits (1,313,136 doses) of Narcan® have been purchased and distributed statewide. That includes 249,024 kits (498,048 doses) of naloxone provided over the last two years directly to organizations serving high-need communities through the NFRP statewide portal.
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