An additional overdose-reversal remedy has received approval to be sold without a doctor’s prescription in Mississippi.
The state health department, in its efforts to reduce overdose fatalities, recently updated its standing order to include nalmefene, an opioid antagonist, in addition to naloxone as a viable method to protect individuals at risk of overdosing.
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Nalmefene, sold under the brand name OPVEE, is indicated for emergency treatment of known or suspected overdose induced by natural or synthetic opioids — such as fentanyl.
OPVEE is an FDA-approved nasal spray that is easy to use in a quick manner. Health experts recommend a single spray of the medication into one of the nostrils of any patient suspected to be overdosing.
Each bottle of the OPVEE contains one spray’s worth of the substance. Additional units of OPVEE can be used every two to five minutes if a patient does not respond.
