ARIZONA, USA — Arizona will get its first shipment of naloxone, the life-saving opioid overdose reversal drug, as part of a settlement with Teva Pharmaceutical, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced on Wednesday.
Over the next two years the state will receive over 55,000 units of the drug, which will first be distributed to the Gila, Mohave, Navajo, Pima and Yuma county health departments. Those counties were identified as having the greatest need.
Each unit comes with two doses of the drug, and will be sent to public libraries, inmate re-entry programs, community-based service groups, emergency rooms and many more, Mayes' office said.
The purchase order comes as part of the recent national opioid settlement. Under the agreement, Teva will provide naloxone to states for up to 10 years instead of paying out a cash option.
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Arizona is set to receive around $85 million in settlement funds over the next 13 years.
“The option of ordering naloxone means that we can help prevent overdoses, especially as one fentanyl pill can kill,” said Attorney General Mayes. “By getting this life-saving drug to our county health departments, and directly into the hands of our communities, we’re going to save lives. Too many families in our state have been shattered by the opioid epidemic. States like Arizona are holding the pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers that perpetuated this crisis accountable," Mayes said in a press release.
The total order of 55,442 units of naloxone will arrive over the next two years. The first-quarter order was placed on Dec. 5 and the first shipments will arrive in June 2024.
- Yuma: 900 units
- Pima: 3,000 units
- Navajo: 1,200 units
- Mohave: 1,200 units
- Gila: 700 units
If you or a loved one needs help with opioid use disorder, call the OARLine at 1-888-688-4222.
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