After the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of Narcan nasal spray, which can prevent a heroin overdose from killing the user, U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) heaped praise on the agency late last week for being proactive in working to prevent such overdose deaths.
During the past decade, statistics show there has been a 286 percent rise in heroin usage and addiction across the nation, and every 72 hours, on average, someone living in the counties bordering Chicago’s Cook County dies from a heroin overdose. After learning details last year of the growing heroin epidemic that exists in these counties, Kirk teamed with local county leaders to launch a task force to target heroin addiction and abuse in Chicago's suburbs.
To that end, Kirk has worked tirelessly to gain approval of Narcan nasal spray, which has been tested and found to have a 100 percent success rate in saving users' lives when administered correctly after an overdose.
“I have been asking the FDA to approve nasal Narcan for over a year and applaud their decision to make this life-saving drug available nationwide,” Kirk said.
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