Health
US Orders Opioid Overdose Antidote to Defend Against Fentanyl Terrorism
- US readies for airborne bioterrorism with fentanyl-like drugs
- Opioid gas was used in 2002 in Russian hostage situation
Photographer: Joe Amon/Denver Post/Getty Images
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Drugmaker Indivior Plc clinched a US contract worth up to $111 million for its opioid antidote — part of the government’s preparation for a potential bioterrorism attack with drugs such as fentanyl that can be released into the air.
The contract will secure US supplies of Opvee, an opioid reversal medication that stays in the body longer than naloxone nasal spray, the standard treatment for opioid overdose which was approved for over-the-counter use earlier this year.