On Monday, health regulators in the United States authorized a new drug variant that can quickly counter the effects of fentanyl and other opioids, which are responsible for the country's drug epidemic. 

Opvee and naloxone have a similar function as they both aid in preventing fatal overdoses of opioids such as heroin, fentanyl, and prescription painkillers. By obstructing the effects of opioids in the brain, both medications can help to restore normal breathing and blood pressure in individuals who have recently overdosed, according to AP News.

Introducing Opvee

(Photo : by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Ed Gadson holds a dose of Narcan as attendees look at the applicator during Narcan training at HIPS, a community outreach organization, in Washington, DC on March 13, 2023. - With an opioid overdose your respiration is "slowed to the point that you're not breathing," Johnny Bailey explains to a rapt audience in Washington. Narcan will "bring someone back from basically the dead," the 47-year-old recovered drug addict said at the offices of HIPS, an organization that provides "harm reduction" services to sex workers and drug users.

Opvee, a nasal spray version of nalmefene, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Nalmefene was initially approved as a vaccine in the 1990s but was discontinued due to low sales. Naloxone is available as a nasal spray and injection, but it is unclear how Opvee will differ from naloxone.

Some experts are concerned about the longer-lasting effects of Opvee. It will be available through prescription and can be used by patients who are 12 years and older.

Research supported by the government shows that Opvee, a nasal spray created by Opiant Pharmaceuticals, has produced comparable outcomes to Narcan, the most popular brand of naloxone nasal spray.

Indivior, a competitor of Opiant Pharmaceuticals, which specializes in medications for opioid addiction, recently acquired Opiant Pharmaceuticals. Indivior anticipates that Opvee will be introduced as early as October.

The opioid crisis has transitioned to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. Experts in the pharmaceutical industry and the US government have recognized the potential of fentanyl to play a new role in treating overdoses.

Due to its longer duration in the body than other opioids, individuals may require multiple doses of naloxone over several hours to fully reverse an overdose.

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health collaborated with pharmaceutical experts to create a nasal spray form of nalmefene that could revive individuals rapidly and prevent relapse.

The development and testing were financed by over $18 million in grants from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and the NIH, who also participated in designing the research.

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Potential Side Effects Alarm Some Experts

Dr. Nora Volkow, who is in charge of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, explained that the goal of creating this medication was to make it last longer and immediately affect the brain. However, some professionals are concerned about the possible adverse effects.

When opioid reversal drugs are used, they can cause strong withdrawal symptoms such as feeling sick, having diarrhea, experiencing muscle cramps, and anxiety. This is a common side effect of all opioid-reversal drugs. Naloxone, for example, can cause these symptoms to last around half an hour to 40 minutes.

Dr. Lewis Nelson of Rutgers University says those problems can last six hours or more with nalmefene, requiring different treatment and management by health professionals.

The FDA has approved a slight increase in drug overdose deaths last year, following two significant spikes during the pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that over 109,000 fatal overdoses occurred in 2022.

The majority of the deaths were connected to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, which have taken over the use of heroin and prescription opioids.

Naloxone has long been central to government efforts to fight the overdose crisis at the federal and local levels. Police, firefighters, and other first responders routinely carry the drug. And officials in all 50 states have given orders to pharmacists to sell or dispense the medicine without a prescription to anyone who wants it.

Naloxone has been a crucial tool in combatting the overdose crisis, with government officials at both federal and local levels prioritizing its distribution. It is commonly carried by police, firefighters, and other first responders, and all 50 states have instructed pharmacists to offer naloxone without a prescription to anyone who needs it.

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