This nasal-spray version of the drug naloxone, a heroin overdose antidote, is among the options under consideration by local police departments. TNS File Photo
St. Joseph County’s two largest police forces still hope to equip their officers with a drug that could fight the heroin overdoses plaguing the area, even as departments across the country have seen the antidote’s cost increase sharply.
The South Bend Police Department is moving forward with a plan that could equip most of its roughly 260 sworn officers with a form of the drug naloxone in 2015 — an expenditure that could surpass $90,000 — while the St. Joseph County Police Department plans to explore a similar program after the new year.
The New York Times reported last week that police departments across the country were experiencing “sticker shock” as the price of a popular nasal-spray form of naloxone increased by as much as 50 percent.
South Bend police remained committed to outfitting officers with naloxone despite its hefty price tag, said Capt. Phil Trent, a department spokesman.
“It wasn’t like we were formulating a plan and then we saw the price and it scared us away,” he said. “We’re not getting dissuaded by the price.”
In fact, Trent said, department officials are still weighing whether to buy a nasal spray kit, which would cost $15 to $25 per unit, or a much more expensive injectable “rescue pen,” which gives voice instructions to its users and could cost up to $600 apiece.
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