Pennsylvania Department of Health launches naloxone testimonial campaign

In 2022, the Food and Drug Administration FDA determined that naloxone products, including Narcan, can reverse the effects of opioids, typically in instances of overdose, are safe enough to be sold over the counter.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health is extending its real-world testimonial campaign to promote naloxone as an effective harm-reduction strategy because of the overdose crisis.

The campaign, which features real-life stories, will run until August 2023, following the death of 5,347 Pennsylvanians to overdose in 2021, according to a press release. The ad campaign showcases stories from five people whose lives have been impacted by substance use, highlighting the importance of naloxone.

The Acting Health Secretary, Debra Bogen, said anyone can potentially save a life by giving naloxone to an individual suffering from an opioid overdose. She encouraged Pennsylvanians to acquire naloxone from various sources, such as pharmacies, community giveaways, or mail, and educate themselves on how to administer it. You never know when you could save the life of a stranger friend, neighbor, or family member. Materials for the campaign were created in partnership with Vital Strategies, a global health organization that believes that every person should be protected by a strong public health system. The availability of naloxone is an effective approach to curbing deaths, according to Daliah Heller, VP for Drug Use Initiatives at Vital Strategies.

The Department of Health campaign will be funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC Overdose Data to Action cooperative agreement, and will run on TV and radio stations as well as digital ads, per a press release.

The campaign, which is projected to have over 76 million impressions, aligns with the efforts undertaken by the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs DDAP, the Department of Aging and the PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency to improve access to naloxone in the state.

In 2021, more than 107,600 Americans died from drug overdoses, according to the CDC. The majority of the cases involved fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid. Between 1999 and 2020, nearly 20,000 overdose deaths have been prevented by self-administering naloxone, according to the FDA.

In September 2022, President Joe Biden announced $1.5 billion in funding to tackle opioid overdoses and remove barriers to key tools like naloxone.