logo
Narcan now widely available in Georgia, free or discounted at some locations

Narcan now widely available in Georgia, free or discounted at some locations

Yahoo29-04-2025

The overdose reversing drug Narcan is now widely available in Georgia.
In some places, the potentially life-saving drug is even offered at a discounted price or for free.
Channel 2's Tom Regan spoke to a local pharmacist in Little Five Points who pushed to make the drug more accessible.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 70% of overdose deaths in Georgia are caused by fentanyl.
But the now wide availability of Narcan is helping to reduce those deaths.
TRENDING STORIES:
Video of fight involving teacher at DeKalb school being used in investigation
2 women stole nearly $500,000 from their former job, Dunwoody police say
24 travelers banned after massive fight breaks out at Carnival Cruise Line terminal
Pharmacist Ira Katz told Channel 2 Action News that he knows firsthand the drug's ability to bring people back from the brink of death.
'It's everywhere now and it should be,' Katz said. 'If I had my way, everyone should have Narcan.'
Katz has been one of the biggest proponents of Narcan access in Georgia, pushing local and state leaders to make it available in schools, libraries and other public places.
'This past weekend, we had a big Inman Park Festival. I brought it down to the first aid station to make sure they have Narcan,' Katz said. 'They did not.'
Katz said over the years, he and his staff have rushed to their parking lot or other places nearby to give nasal Narcan to people who have overdosed.
'I knocked on the window, no response. The door wasn't locked so I opened the door,' Katz recounted. 'I checked his pulse, very faint.'
He gave the man two doses of nasal Narcan, saving his life.
'The parents came back the next day to get the car and they said, the parent said 'what do I owe you?'' Katz said. 'I said you don't owe me anything.'
Katz gives Narcan away for free. He charges a nominal amount for fentanyl test strips, which can detect the deadly drug in other street drugs.
The pharmacist credited Gov. Brian Kemp for legalizing distribution of the strips in 202.
'In just a few minutes, you can get the results on whether it is positive or negative for fentanyl,' he said.
Katz has even given Narcan to police and fire departments and urges parents to get it just in case a loved one or someone they know has overdosed.
'I get it for free and I give it away for free,' Katz said.
Katz and other harm reduction advocates are worried that government grants to provide Narcan at a lower cost, or for free, could soon dry up.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Grant applications roll out in response to Georgia opioid crisis
Grant applications roll out in response to Georgia opioid crisis

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Grant applications roll out in response to Georgia opioid crisis

ATLANTA, Ga. (WSAV) — The Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust works to eradicate and prevent the opioid crisis. In 2022, Georgia secured $638 million from settlements with major pharmaceutical companies and an additional $13 million from McKinsey & Company to combat the opioid crisis. The funds go to support initiatives like expanding treatment options, increasing public awareness and providing life-saving naloxone, more commonly known as Narcan. Governor Brian Kemp said, 'Like every other state, the opioid crisis has hit Georgia communities and families hard and with lasting effect. These funds will help us fight the good fight against the disease of addiction, help us make our communities more secure and help us see that justice is done for the victims of these opioid manufacturers and distributors.' The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (GDBHDD) says opioid-related overdoses have killed more than 650,000 people over the last 25 years, with a 200 percent increase between 2010 and 2020. Kevin Tanner, State Commissioner for the GDBHDD, said of the settlement, '$479 million of that money will flow through the trust over the next 18 years and out of that, 60 percent will go statewide initiatives, and 40 percent for regional initiatives. We opened that first opportunity for grants last year.' Apply online for the funds through Wednesday, June 18, 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Elysium Therapeutics' Investor Webcast Highlights "Fentanyl Rebound" as Key Challenge in Reducing Opioid Overdose Hospitalizations and Deaths
Elysium Therapeutics' Investor Webcast Highlights "Fentanyl Rebound" as Key Challenge in Reducing Opioid Overdose Hospitalizations and Deaths

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Elysium Therapeutics' Investor Webcast Highlights "Fentanyl Rebound" as Key Challenge in Reducing Opioid Overdose Hospitalizations and Deaths

Elysium's Synthetic Opioid Overdose Prevention and Reversal (SOOPR™) technology designed specifically to combat oral fentanyl overdose LYONS, Colo., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Elysium Therapeutics, an emerging biopharmaceutical company developing treatments specifically designed to rescue and reverse overdoses caused by oral opioids, including synthetic opioids like fentanyl, recently hosted a webcast to educate investors and pharmaceutical leaders on the pressing need to develop overdose rescue therapies designed specifically for synthetic opioids, like fentanyl. Entitled, "Innovating Solutions to Combat Fentanyl Rebound" and led by Greg Sturmer, CEO, the presentation noted that short-acting opioid antagonists like Narcan® and Opvee® are frequently ineffective in the management of synthetic opioid overdoses1, with 20 to 45% of overdose victims initially rescued with naloxone experiencing a re-narcotization event. Sturmer commented: "When fentanyl is taken orally, individuals can face a danger zone, a period of respiratory depression that can last six to eight hours, which far outlasts the window provided by currently available rescue agents that only last, at most, 30 minutes. The result is nearly half of those initially given a dose of today's rescue medications experience a rebound or re-narcotization event, which can lead to a hypoxic brain injury, cardiovascular toxicity or death." To address this critical shortcoming, Elysium designed its Synthetic Opioid Overdose Prevention and Reversal (SOOPR™) technology to be both faster acting and with the potential to offer overdose protection out to approximately 24-hours. Additionally, Elysium designed SOOPR with an intramuscular route of administration, which grants more reliable dosing, in comparison to intranasal administration, which can lead to partial and uncertain dosing in high stress settings. Sturmer added: "SOOPR was designed specifically for synthetic opioids, which are now the number one killer of adults aged 18 to 45 in the U.S. The need for a rapid-acting, long-duration reversal agent, such as SOOPR, is extreme given its potential to reduce the likelihood of hypoxic brain injury, cardiovascular events, re-narcotization, and death. Recognizing this opportunity, Elysium is planning to rapidly advance the SOOPR clinical program along a timeline that could enable the technology to reach the market in the next two to three years." About SOOPR™ (Synthetic Opioid Overdose Prevention and Rescue) SOOPR (Synthetic Opioid Overdose Prevention and Reversal) is a rapid-onset, long-acting rescue agent specifically designed to address overdose from synthetic opioids, including oral fentanyl. SOOPR utilizes a proprietary long-acting naloxone reversal formulation with faster onset kinetics versus Narcan® delivered via long-acting injection (LAI) technology. The technology is designed to rapidly restore respiration and provide 18 – 24 hours of effective opioid blockade to minimize the risk of re-narcotization, while also providing protection from same-day re-use of opioids. SOOPR has been endorsed by first responders and OUD treatment professionals as the effective solution urgently needed to address the global opioid overdose epidemic. About Elysium Therapeutics Elysium is an emerging biopharmaceutical company developing treatments specifically designed to rescue and reverse overdoses caused by oral synthetic opioids, including fentanyl. Elysium is working to establish new standards of safety in the opioid industry by developing SMART™ (Safer Medicines Alleviate Risks and Trauma) products, first- and best-in-class medicines that address the limitations and dangers associated with opioids and overdose rescue agents to reduce suffering from opioid-use disorder, opioid overdose, and acute pain. Elysium's lead technology, SOOPR™ (Synthetic Opioid Overdose Prevention and Reversal), is a long-acting opioid antagonist specifically designed to address oral synthetic opioid, including fentanyl, overdose. Tens of thousands of unnecessary overdose deaths each year exemplifies the critical shortcomings of currently available rescue agents, including naloxone and nalmefene. In addition, Elysium is developing oral-overdose protected (O2P™) hydrocodone for the treatment of moderate-to-severe acute pain. For more information, please visit ContactTiberend Strategic Advisors, IncInvestors Media David Irish Casey McDonald (231) 632-0002 (646) 577-8520 dirish@ cmcdonald@ ¹ Rachael Rzasa Lynn and JL Galinkin Ther Adv Drug Saf 2018, Vol. 9(1) 63–88. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Elysium Therapeutics Sign in to access your portfolio

Woman unable to walk, sues hospital after surgeon operated on the wrong knee
Woman unable to walk, sues hospital after surgeon operated on the wrong knee

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Woman unable to walk, sues hospital after surgeon operated on the wrong knee

A woman is suing her surgeon and the hospital that left her unable to walk or play with her children after they operated on the wrong leg. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Talia Foster, 33, of Toledo, is suing the University of Toledo Medical Center (UTMC) and the orthopedic surgeon that operated on the wrong knee in 2023, according to our CBS-affiliate WTOL in Toledo. Instead of operating on her injured left knee for what was supposed to be a routine ACL repair, Dr. David Sohn removed a healthy tendon from her right leg. TRENDING STORIES: Argument leads to deadly shooting in Fairborn, police say Former school staffer who pleaded guilty to sexual relationship with student sentenced to prison 6-year-old hit, killed by car in Harrison Township 'He never marked the right leg. It was just never discussed,' Foster said. Her surgeon confirmed the error in Foster's medical records: 'After harvesting the first of two hamstring tendons, I was notified that we had started operating on the incorrect knee. We stopped surgery and contacted patient's family (mother). I explained our error and asked whether she wished for me to proceed. She said yes.' Her mother, Barbara Foster, said she remembers the phone call with Dr. Sohn during the surgery. 'I'm still in shock like, 'Wait a minute.' He said, 'Well, since we already have this tendon out, should I go ahead and do the left knee?' He said, 'I don't want to waste the tendon,'' her mother said to WTOL. Our CBS affiliate, WTOL, cited the National Institutes of Health policy on wrong-site surgeries, stating they are rare but preventable through communication and compliance with surgical protocols. The Joint Commission has recommended a 'Universal Protocol,' since 2003 that requires site marking while the patient is awake and a two-minute 'time out' before surgery to confirm the procedure, site, and patient identity, as reported by WTOL. Foster's left knee, the one she was supposed to get surgery on initially, was visibly marked with the surgeon's initials. Foster said the hospital itself didn't realize the mistake initially, and it remains unclear how her right knee became the surgical target, according to WTOL. Foster said her doctors have told her the ACL surgery on her left knee was a failure, and she now suffers nerve pain in her right leg. She has sought treatment with new doctors to manage her ongoing pain, but it's just a temporary solution to try to ease 'the constant burning and pain,' she said to WTOL. Foster said she can no longer work after a decade of service as an employee at Stellantis. She's on disability and said she is unable to care for or play with her two-year-old and eight-year-old children. 'She said she'd rather cut her legs off. What good is having something when you don't have any stability in them? You're falling downstairs, you can't carry your kid. Who wants to live like that?' Foster's mother said. According to her doctors, Foster will need a full knee replacement on her left leg, and her right leg may never fully recover. 'Just being able to run with my kids, that's my best hope. Being able to have the stability I had before this. But it's hard to have that type of hope,' Foster said. Neither UTMC nor Dr. Sohn has commented, citing the pending litigation, according to WTOL. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store