(WWJ) - The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department announced they will be the first in the nation to use a new medication in the war on opioid overdoses.
Opvee, made by Indivior, is going to be used by the department starting next week, officials said.
The drug was approved by the FDA in May and works on overdoses caused by both natural and synthetic opioids.
In a press conference announcing the new medication, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said that the Crisis and Emergency Preparedness teams suggested the use of Opvee by the department.
“It actually came from a very proactive crisis intervention group,” Bouchard said.
Bouchard said that there was a “seven-fold” increase in the number of overdoses involving either fentanyl or synthetic fentanyl between 2015 and 2021. He also said that the drugs accounted for two-thirds of overdose deaths which totaled 107,000 in 2021, according to the National Center on Health Statistics.
Opvee stays in the body for up to 10 hours compared to the traditional treatment, Narcan, which lasts around 90 minutes, Bouchard said.
The Oakland Community Health Network is paying for the first 100 boxes, totaling $7,500, officials said.