By Hillary Omdal, healthcare services communications manager
A lifesaving drug is now available in nasal spray form to Premera customers. Doctors can prescribe it to anyone who may experience or witness an overdose from the group of drugs known as opioids.
Opioid overdoses claimed the lives of almost 30,000 Americans in 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's 4 times the total in 2000.
New proposed federal initiatives will allow more patients access to medication that treats addiction to drugs like oxycodone, morphine, and heroin. They also will provide grants to states to buy the overdose-reversal drug naloxone.
Naloxone is a low-cost, non-narcotic drug that blocks opioids, yet has no potential for abuse. Side effects are rare. When given during an overdose, naloxone blocks the effects of opioids on the brain. It restores breathing within 2 to 8 minutes.
In step with the American Medical Association and World Health Organization guidelines, Premera supports access to naloxone for customers who are likely to have or witness opioid overdoses.
Before 2014, naloxone was available only in injectable form. That required the user to know how to administer medication with a vial and syringe. In July 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Evzio, a user-friendly, pocket-sized device used to auto-inject naloxone. And last fall, the FDA approved the first nasal spray version of naloxone, Narcan. The pre-measured dosages available with Narcan and Evzio make it easier to administer naloxone during an overdose.
Narcan nasal spray costs around $75, a fraction of the cost of Evzio. For the cost of a single Evzio kit, Premera can cover about 75 Narcan nasal spray kits.
"Narcan allows our customers to continue to receive the benefits this drug provides, while also reducing healthcare costs," says Kathy Brown, Premera's director of pharmacy.
"The immediate availability of naloxone for someone in need, as opposed to waiting for an ambulance, is a tremendous tool," Brown said. "Naloxone significantly increases the patient's chance for survival."
Naloxone is not a magic bullet for opioid overdoses, however. Other measures to help keep patients and their families safe include limited prescription quantities, treatment agreements between patients and providers, pills that are more difficult to crush or dissolve, and prescription drug-monitoring programs.
At Premera, we also address substance use disorder (SUD) treatment through our Controlled Substance Utilization (CSU) program, which includes self-care tools. It also offers one-on-one health coaching over the phone.
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