This New Fentanyl Overdose-Reversal Drug Is Stronger Than Narcan: Here's Why

Fentanyl, an opioid used as a pain medication, is considered dangerous, addictive and one of the reasons why rates of drug overdose deaths are skyrocketing.

According to CDC data, overdose deaths caused by synthetic opioids other than methadone, including fentanyl and fentanyl analogs, increased by over 56% from 2019 to 2020.

Most recent overdose death counts show an additional increase in overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in 200 daily deaths — the highest levels ever recorded, according to federal officials.

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Moreover, the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s data showed that more than 107,000 people nationwide died from a drug overdose in 2021.

Rahul Gupta, the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said earlier this year that official data shows “we must do more to lower the number of overdoses.”

With the holiday season just around the corner, many will be experiencing specific stressors that can take an emotional and physical toll. Moreover, other sad statistics from CDC suggest that the most dangerous months for drug-and-alcohol-related deaths are December and January.

Luckily, first responders are now armed with a new overdose reversal drug that has been proven quite a more powerful tool for fentanyl overdoses than Narcan, a naloxone product that The Food and Drug Administration recently approved for sale without a prescription.

More Powerful Tool

Dubbed ZIMHI — a naloxone HCL injection — offers the highest dose of naloxone available as an intramuscular injection to quickly get it into the blood.

The 5 mg/0.5 mL product, developed by Adamis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, was FDA-approved in October 2021 and represents another naloxone option in the fentanyl crisis. It can be used on the fly — rapidly pulling off the cap and inserting the needle into the thigh.

The new powerful tool is expected to help with fentanyl overdoses, per News4JAX.

“Fentanyl, over the past year, they’ve come up with different strands of it to where it’s almost 100 times stronger than what the fentanyl was a year ago,” explained Chris Chodkowski, a trauma therapist.

Photo: Randy Laybourne on Unsplash