Capital Tonight has been reporting on the push to broaden the kinds of opioid antagonists the state uses to stop overdoses. The state presently contracts with only one maker of naloxone or Narcan, but that may change.

According to the state Health Department Commissioner Dr. Jim McDonald, DOH will issue a new procurement next year to see if the state can get a better price on the drug. 

That said, McDonald is not yet willing to update the statewide standing order to add all FDA-approved versions of the drug, like nalmefene or Opvee. 

“The approval they (manufacturers of Opvee or nalmefene) got in 2022, they studied it in healthy volunteers, and they got it through the Food and Drug Administration. That’s good enough for the FDA, but they didn’t make it over the counter. So, if the manufacturers of Opvee want to make their drug over the counter, they can go to the Food and Drug Administration and get it approved for that. But the FDA will have to grant them that approval.   They haven’t done that,” McDonald stated.  “Narcan, by the way, is over the counter now. It wasn’t when we started this, but it’s a tried-and-true medication. It is safe. We know it saves lives, and we know it’s safe and effective.”