The Clinton Foundation has partnered with Adapt Pharma to supply colleges across the United States with five free doses of the life-saving opioid overdose reversal medication Narcan.
Narcan, a nasal spray produced by Adapt Pharma and approved by the Food and Drug Administration, contains naloxone, a life-saving medication that can reverse the effects of opioid overdose. Naloxone has helped emergency personnel and first responders save the lives of many individuals who have overdosed on opioids, but in the past, it has required a syringe to administer. Narcan nasal spray makes it exponentially easier to administer a dose of the overdose-reversing medicine.
When it comes to opioid overdose, administering naloxone a few moments earlier may mean the difference between life and death. However, most opioid overdoses don’t occur in a clinical health care setting, thus it is not likely that a medical professional will be nearby to administer medication using a syringe or other medical equipment. Narcan circumvents these issues by providing portable, accessible doses, which can be administered by lay people — although professional medical attention is required immediately thereafter.
Alex Chan, director of National Health for the Clinton Health Matters Initiative, said the goal is to “expand and scale access” to the medication. “Naloxone is not the only answer to the opioid epidemic, but one of a suite of tools that the Clinton Foundation has focused on,” he said.
By expanding access to naloxone in existing centers of communities — such as schools and universities, as well as other organizations that serve and interact with the public — Chan hopes to ensure that those who are most at risk for overdose are afforded the immediate intervention Narcan provides.
Any college can apply to become one of the 4,000 schools the partnership will assist with free Narcan. “Every institution of higher learning is eligible, whether it be a 2-year program, a 4-year program, a community college or a Ph.D. program,” said Chan. Furthermore, the program affords schools the option to take full advantage of the resources provided by the Clinton Foundation, which includes information such as recommendations for usage and placement of the Narcan on campuses to maximize the efficacy of the medication.
The current program evolved from a 2016 partnership between Adapt and the Clinton Foundation to provide Narcan to American high schools. This year, Chan said, the partnered organizations “took the logical next step by progressing upstream and expanding the program to colleges and universities.”
On top of providing colleges with free doses of Narcan, the program also aims… (continue reading)
