Health and Fitness

Senator Kirk Launches Suburban Anti-Heroin Task Force


1 Death Every 3 Days on Average Since 2012; Using Narcan During an Overdose was 100% Effective in DuPage County

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CHICAGO–(ENEWSPF)–October 7, 2014. U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) yesterday launched the Suburban Anti-Heroin Task Force to tackle the rampant problem of heroin abuse by Illinois teenagers in suburban Chicago along with local leaders Felicia Meceli from Medinah, Ill., Lake County State’s Attorney Mike Nerheim and DuPage County Coroner Dr. Rich Jorgensen. Since 2012, more than 390 people have died from a heroin overdose in Lake, DuPage, McHenry, Will and Kane Counties. Someone dies every three days from a heroin overdose on average, and now that heroin is available in powder form it is easier than ever to get hooked on the highly addictive and deadly drug. Senator Kirk, Felicia Meceli, Dr. Jorgensen and State’s Attorney Nerheim today discussed the warning signs of heroin addiction, the threat opioid usage poses as a gateway to heroin abuse and the importance of the intranasal spray Narcan in the fight to save lives during an overdose. Ms. Meceli lost her son Louie at age 24 due to a heroin overdose. He began using heroin after his prescription pain medicine ran out.

“We often think that suburban kids are immune to drug addiction but someone is dying from from heroin, on average, every three days. It is understood that prescription pain-killers are common gateways to heroin addiction but we are now seeing a 100 percent success rates from the life-saving drug Narcan,” Senator Kirk said. “In the eight years that the FDA wants us to wait for Narcan nasal spray, we will lose approximately 1,043 more lives in the Chicago suburbs to heroin.”

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 4.2 million people aged 12 years and older have tried heroin at least once. Research shows that those who first abuse prescription drugs have a greater risk of trying and subsequently becoming addicted to heroin, a risk increased for teenagers who abuse prescription drugs found in a medicine cabinet. Earlier today, Senator Kirk sent letters to Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and Dr. Janet Woodcock, the Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the Federal Drug Administration regarding the approval of Narcan, a drug which if administered immediately will save the life during a potential heroin overdose. DuPage County EMTs and police officials use Narcan in a nasal spray form because it’s cheaper and easier to administer than the injectors. Between January and October of this year the spray was 100% successful, saving each of the 22 people it was used on. The spray costs DuPage $16 per unit compared to $290 per unit for the injector. Unless fast-tracked, approval for the nasal spray could take 7-8 years, a delay that according to current trends would risk more than 1,043 lives in the Chicago suburbs due to heroin addiction.

For teenagers like Louie, an overdose resulting in death could have been prevented and stopped with medicine like Narcan. Louie excelled at school, was a terrific athlete and was constantly surrounded by friends and family. He was prescribed a pain medication following a sports injury in high school, and when the medicine ran out he began to search elsewhere to fuel his addiction. He turned to heroin usage and passed away from an overdose after a short stint in rehab. Felicia started the Heroin Awareness and Support Foundation in Louie’s memory to help educate the public on the dangers and addictive nature of this drug.

A copy of the letter sent to the FDA is below and can be seen here, along with information for parents, teachers, and public officials on how to spot heroin addiction in teenagers.

October 6, 2014

Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg
Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration

Dr. Hamburg,

I write today to call attention to an ongoing public health issue plaguing the Chicago Metropolitan Region. Since 2012, heroin has killed someone every 3 days in Chicago’s suburbs. As community leaders partner regionally to devise strategies to address this problem, I ask that you work expeditiously to approve the development of intranasal naloxone spray so our first responders and law enforcement partners have the tools necessary to save lives in our communities.

It is my understanding that FDA approval for intranasal naloxone may be another eight years away. Following current trends, an eight-year delay would result in another 1043 lives lost in Chicago’s suburbs. Our communities should not have to wait eight years for an intranasal naloxone spray that can save lives today.

The benefits of naloxone are widely recognized. When injected intravenously, intramuscularly, or subcutaneously, it can reverse the potentially fatal effects of opiate overdose. In many communities, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) are trained and equipped to use naloxone injectors in life-threating situations and have been successful doing so. However, other first responders, such as police officers and firefighters, have expressed concerns that they do not possess the medical training necessary to administer this type of injection. They are more comfortable using a nasal spray device.

To address this problem, officials in DuPage County, Illinois, have trained non-EMT first responders to use naloxone through an intranasal spray device. To date, the intranasal spray device has been used 22 times this year and has saved the lives of 22 individuals, delivering a 100 percent success rate.

Intranasal naloxone spray has not only proven to be as effective at saving lives as the naloxone auto-injector, it is considerably more affordable. Currently, the DuPage County Health Department pays $16 per unit for the intranasal naloxone ($11 for naloxone and $5 for the atomizer), compared to nearly $290 for each unit of the naloxone auto-injector. These savings have allowed the county to train and equip 1,742 first responders with nasal spray devices. The success of DuPage County demonstrates the need for an intranasal formulation of naloxone that can be widely distributed to save lives across the country.

With 390 heroin-related deaths since 2012, Chicago’s collar counties are finalizing programs to train and equip all first responders with naloxone. While DuPage County is the only county currently using intranasal naloxone, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will Counties are set to implement plans to use both forms of naloxone in the coming months. I commend these counties for being proactive and encourage the FDA to address this public health crisis by approving a nasal spray from of naloxone.

I request the current status of the study, and I urge you to approve this product for market use as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Source: kirk.senate.gov


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