Photo: Michael Cummo / Hearst Connecticut Media

Purdue Pharma is headquartered at 201 Tresser Blvd., in downtown Stamford, Conn.

Purdue Pharma is headquartered at 201 Tresser Blvd., in downtown Stamford, Conn.

Purdue, sheriffs association launch next phase of naloxone initiative

STAMFORD Purdue Pharma and the National Sheriffs Association announced this week the second round of a partnership that gives officers across the country overdose kits and training for the naloxone drug, which can reverse opioid overdoses.

NSA officials credit the Purdue-funded initiative with helping to save some 120 lives since its late 2015 pilot-phase launch. In the first stage, NSA officers distributed 500 naloxone kits to 12 local law enforcement agencies in several states.

The program has also allowed NSA to reach more than 600 deputies and officers through on-site training at nine law enforcement agencies across the country.

Purdue remains committed to combating opioid abuse and equipping our communities with the tools and resources they need to do so, Gail Cawkwell, Purdues chief medical officer, said in a statement. We are motivated by the results weve seen since the launch of the pilot program and are proud to continue our partnership with NSA.

Purdue, whose drugs include the opioid OxyContin, has contributed $850,000 so far to the initiative and $500,000 will support the next phase. The NSA plans to provide during the next year the Narcan nasal spray brand of naloxone and training to at least 50 law enforcement agencies across the country.

Law enforcement officers know firsthand the impact that the right tools can have in saving lives within our communities, Sheriff Keith Cain, NSA board member and chairman of the NSAs Drug Enforcement Committee, said in a statement. NSA has identified naloxone as one of the most effective weapons in our arsenal for combatting opioid overdose, and we are continuing our work to train law enforcement and implement effective solutions on a national scale.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has also endorsed naloxone.

Since 1999, the national rate of overdose deaths involving opioids including prescription drugs and heroin nearly quadrupled, and more than 165,000 people have died from prescription opioid overdoses, according to an HHS factsheet.

In a May report on the initiative, the NSA pointed to the need for a comprehensive strategy for tackling the opioid epidemic that includes raising awareness about its impact and solutions that help those affected by the crisis.

We need to have a pointed discussion that regularly and openly identifies what works, what doesn't, and where communities can go for solutions, NSA officials wrote in the report. Right now, we need to come together as a country to figure out what is already working and what we can do to implement these solutions on a national scale.

While NSA praised Purdue for its support of the naloxone program, the Stamford-based pharmaceutical company also faces a wave of litigation alleging it made false claims about OxyContin that fueled the opioid crisis. During the past month, Ohios attorney general and a group of district attorneys general in Tennessee have filed such complaints. Purdue has denied those lawsuits allegations.

pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott

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Purdue, sheriffs association launch next phase of naloxone initiative - The Advocate