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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Residents, pets unhurt following Talent house fire ... Emergency services, Sept. 9 ... Climb to the upper world of Mount Bailey ... Residents, pets unhurt following Talent house fire ... Emergency services, Sept. 9 ... Climb to the upper world of Mount Bailey ... EpiPen isn't the only emergency medicine skyrocketing in price Price hikes on crucial emergency medicine go far beyond the EpiPen. Naloxone, a drug that instantly reverses opioid overdoses, has been skyrocketing in price for years. And Mylan, the company behind the EpiPen, is involved in the naloxone price hikes as well. Comment By Harrison Jacobs Business Insider MailTribune.com By Harrison Jacobs Business Insider Posted Sep. 8, 2016 at 1:38 PM By Harrison Jacobs Business Insider Posted Sep. 8, 2016 at 1:38 PM » Social News The EpiPen and its maker, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, have been all over the news as of late. Its price — which has gone from $93.88 to $608.61 since 2007 — has sparked outrage from a number of members of Congress, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, and the general public. But price hikes on crucial emergency medicine go far beyond the EpiPen. Naloxone, a drug that instantly reverses opioid overdoses, has been skyrocketing in price for years. And Mylan, the company behind the EpiPen, is involved in the naloxone price hikes as well. Frequently referred to as an "antidote" for opioid overdoses, naloxone has seen drastic price increases in recent years, according to information provided by Truven Health Analytics, a healthcare-analytics company. A popular injectable version of the drug has gone from $0.92 a dose to more than $15 a dose over the last decade. An auto-injector version is up to more than $2,000 a dose. A report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in January revealed that drug-overdose deaths reached a new high in 2014, totaling 47,055 people. Opioids were involved in 60% of those deaths. On the market since 1971, naloxone works by blocking opioid drugs from interacting with the brain's receptors, counteracting the drugs' dangerous side effects, like slow respiration, coma, and death, during an overdose. The drug almost instantly pulls an overdose victim back to sobriety and has only minor side effects for opioid users — and almost none if mistakenly administered to patients not suffering an overdose. The price increases, however, have made affording the drug difficult for community organizations, which provide naloxone for free to drug users, their family members, and other nonmedical personnel. These organizations, along with pharmacies, public-health departments, and substance-use treatment facilities, prevented more than 26,000 overdoses from 1996 to June 2014 by providing naloxone, according to a survey of 136 such organizations conducted by the Harm Reduction Coalition, a national advocacy group. That number is also likely lower than the actual number of overdoses prevented, according to the survey. Many see the drug's price hikes as unwarranted and are frustrated with the lack of access. "We're not talking about a limited commodity. Naloxone is a medicine that is almost as cheap as sterile sodium chloride — salt water," Dan Bigg, the executive director of the Chicago Recovery Alliance, an outreach organization that has been providing naloxone to drug users for nearly 20 years, told Business Insider. In June, Sens. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat from Missouri, and Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, sent a letter to the five pharmaceutical companies that produce naloxone — Amphastar, Pfizer, Adapt, Kaléo, and Mylan — asking for an explanation of the recent price changes. "At the same time this epidemic is killing tens of thousands of Americans a year, we're seeing the price of naloxone go up by 1000% or more," McCaskill wrote. "Maybe there's a great reason for the price increases, but given the heart-breaking gravity of this epidemic and the need for this drug, I think we have to demand some answers." By Harrison Jacobs Business Insider MailTribune.com By Harrison Jacobs Business Insider Posted Sep. 8, 2016 at 1:38 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top ERROR: Object template cce_3 is missing! ERROR: Object template cce_3 is missing! ERROR: Object template cce_3 is missing! ERROR: Object template cce_3 is missing! ERROR: Object template cce_3 is missing! ERROR: Object template cce_3 is missing! 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