Naloxone-dosage uptick approved
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the release of a higher-dosage version of the overdose-reversal drug naloxone, the agency said Friday.
The drug, which counteracts the effects of an opioid overdose, will be made available in an 8-milligram nasal spray. Previously, only 2-milligram and 4-milligram nasal sprays were approved.
Sometimes multiple doses of naloxone are needed to revive a person who has overdosed, particularly on strong synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. A higher-dose product is expected to help mitigate that issue, experts say.
In Arkansas, 391 opioid overdoses were reversed using naloxone in 2020, according to data from the state drug director. That's up from 185 in 2019.
The majority of those people (85%) were white, and 262 of the 391 were between the ages of 20 and 39, the data shows.
UAMS says digital visits top 100,000
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has conducted more than 100,000 digital health visits since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a news release last week..
The health system is averaging about 2,000 telemedicine visits per week, but that number was as high as 4,500 per week during winter weather and during peak times of the global outbreak.
Expanding digital health offerings has long been a priority for officials at the system, who have touted its possible benefits for serving more rural areas of the state.
The UAMS HealthNow telemedicine portal now offers treatment for minor illnesses, injuries, HIV prevention and mental health support, a news release said.
As covid-19 spread, the platform "provided a face-to-face connection that patients yearned for when asking questions, calming fears or needing reassurance, especially during the start of and at the height of the pandemic," UAMS HealthNow director Stacy Petty said in a statement.