Ohio is extending a program that allows public agencies to get rebates on the opioid overdose antidote naloxone.
Amphastar Pharmaceuticals gives the rebates for its version of the drug. It will continue to issue $6 rebates for every syringe sold.
Attorney General Mike DeWine says extending the rebate was necessary because of the rise of cheaper, more potent opioids like fentanyl and carfentanil.
“It many times takes more than one dose of naloxone to save someone. I’ve talked to EMS squads who have told me it’s taken eight to 10 times on some of the individuals who have overdosed. So that’s really been the big change that we’ve seen in the last year," DeWine said.
Under the agreement, Amphastar gives the rebates to the Attorney General’s office, which then distributes them to agencies like Project DAWN and law enforcement.
DeWine says if the price of naloxone increases, the rebate amount will rise proportionally to that increase.
The rebate agreement with Amphastar is separate from the one-year price freeze negotiated last year with Adapt Pharma, the company that makes the Narcan® brand nasal spray.
