Ky. receives naloxone shipment from drug company accused of fueling the opioid crisis
Kentucky has received nearly 8,000 doses of naloxone from a pharmaceutical company as part of a settlement in a lawsuit that accused the company of marketing practices that fueled the state’s opioid epidemic.
The naloxone shipments that arrived in Kentucky this week are the first of four deliveries expected this year by Teva Pharmaceuticals, the Kentucky attorney general’s office announced Friday.
The drug, which can help restore breathing if an overdose has occurred, was delivered to facilities in Ashland, Frankfort, Florence, Louisville and Paducah, Attorney General Russell Coleman’s office said in a news release.
Teva Pharmaceuticals agreed to provide the state with more than 23,000 units of naloxone annually as part of the settlement, according to the release.
The company also agreed to pay $71 million over 13 years under the settlement, which was announced last fall by then-Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s office. The lawsuit was filed in 2018, when Gov. Andy Beshear was attorney general.
The Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission is responsible for distributing the settlement money and will hold a public meeting next week to award a new round of grants, the AG’s office said.
The commission is working with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the Kentucky Pharmacists Association to distribute the naloxone.
Grants allowed Kentucky to distribute more than 160,000 two-dose units of Naloxone last year, Jody Jaggers, of the Kentucky Pharmacy Education and Research Foundation, said in the release.
Jaggers said the naloxone provided by Teva “will help expand access to this life-saving product to agencies and individuals directly involved in responding to overdoses across the Commonwealth.”
The drug, which is also marketed under the brand names Narcan and Evzio, is available free through many health departments, regional prevention centers and recovery centers throughout the state. A complete listing of locations with free naloxone is online at Findnaloxone.ky.gov.
“Naloxone is a critical lifeline for Kentucky families struggling with addiction,” Coleman said in the release. “Equipping first responders, health professionals and treatment providers with this all-important medication can help save lives for Kentuckians on the road to recovery.”
This story was originally published May 31, 2024 at 7:07 PM.
