In this March 2, 2015 photo, Alicia Gibbons holds an empty bottle of naloxone that she used to save the life of her daughter Ashley at their home in Mays Landing, N.J. Officials across the country are agreeing that it makes sense to hand out the antidote to police, families of addicts and drug users themselves but price of naloxone, sold in the U.S. under the brand name Narcan, has doubled in the past year. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
States are making it easier to get access to a drug that reverses overdoses cause by heroin and other opioids.
But officials and advocates are finding a new obstacle to the life-saving antidote. The price is rising fast.
Some programs that distribute naloxone (nuh-LAHX'-ohn) are finding they cannot buy as many doses of the antidote as they had anticipated.
The price now is about twice what it was last fall. Amphastar, the California drug company some officials have blamed for the price increase, says manufacturing costs have been increasing.
Officials in Ohio and New York have negotiated discounts to help police departments and community groups pay for naloxone.
© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
