AG DeWine: Naloxone rebate agreement extended

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced that a naloxone rebate agreement has been extended for another year.

DeWine’s announcement comes about a week after U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams advised more people to carry the opioid-reversal medicine. When given to a person overdosing, naloxone can limit or stop the overdose by reversing the effects of the drug on the brain.

“Expanding the awareness and availability of this medication is a key part of the public health response to the opioid epidemic,” the Surgeon General’s Office stated. “Naloxone is a safe antidote to a suspected overdose and, when given in time, can save a life.”

The renewed agreement with Amphastar Pharmaceuticals continues to allow nonfederal public entities in Ohio to receive a $6 rebate for each naloxone syringe purchased through March 31, 2019.

“Those battling addiction deserve the chance to recover, and by securing this rebate for Ohio, agencies have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars off of the normal price for this drug,” DeWine said in a statement.

There are 127 agencies in the state that have used the program, with rebates totaling $732,384 between March 2015 and December 2017.

“Those battling addiction deserve the chance to recover, and by securing this rebate for Ohio, agencies have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars off of the normal price for this drug.”

— Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine

In other news: Some cities strain to afford overdose-reversal drug naloxone