Ongoing efforts to develop policies that increase access to the lifesaving opioid overdose drug naloxone (multiple brands) must address skyrocketing price increases, a critical factor that is undermining these efforts, experts say.
“We believe that policies [to increase the availability of naloxone] should explicitly call on manufacturers to reduce the price of naloxone and increase transparency regarding their costs, particularly those related to the development of new formulations,” the authors of a commentary published online December 8 in the New England Journal of Medicine write.
Several formulations of naloxone are available. These include formulations that allow the drug to be taken by injection, autoinjection, and nasal spray. Each formulation has essentially only one supplier, and recent price hikes reflect a lack of competition. The commentary authors, led by Joseph S. Ross, MD, note the following:
