DUBLIN, Ohio, April 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, as part of its Opioid Action Program, Cardinal Health began its donation of more than 80,000 doses of Narcan®, (naloxone HCI) Nasal Spray 4mg, to community organizations who will distribute the life-saving overdose-reversal medication to first responders and law enforcement across Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Cardinal Health is committed to helping communities fight the opioid epidemic. Today's donation of Narcan® will help organizations and first responders keep their community members safe from fatal opioid overdoses and bolster their efforts to curb opioid misuse.

"As part of the frontline response to the opioid crisis, first responders know the importance of Narcan in helping reverse overdoses and save lives," said Chris Wilhite, assistant chief of emergency services for Jessamine County, Kentucky. "Today's donation from Cardinal Health will help Jessamine County EMS crews save lives."

Narcan® Nasal Spray is the only FDA-approved nasal naloxone that does not require assembly or any specialized medical training to use. Adapt Pharma, the manufacturer of Narcan®, is supporting Cardinal Health's effort as part of its overall push to help save the lives of those battling addiction. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine¹ and the President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis² both urge expanding access to life-saving medications.

This donation is part of Cardinal Health's Opioid Action Program, a multi-million dollar, four-state pilot initiative launched last year designed to help some of the nation's hardest-hit areas fight the opioid epidemic. The program has delivered front-line tools to help prevent opioid abuse and support communities, schools and first responders in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Following the launch of the Opioid Action Program, Cardinal Health initiated a thorough review process of applications submitted by interested and qualified entities in the four pilot states who provide Narcan® for first responders and law enforcement. The initial donation announced today to 27 organizations will be followed by additional donations to qualified organizations in the four states in coming weeks. 

The Opioid Action Program builds on Cardinal Health's decade-long efforts to combat opioid abuse and addiction. In 2009, the Cardinal Health Foundation partnered with The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy to create the Generation Rx educational program to raise awareness and knowledge about the dangers of prescription drug misuse. The Cardinal Health Foundation has invested millions of dollars over the last decade and reached over one million people through partnerships and grants with non-profits across the country. The Opioid Action Program represents an important next step in combatting this tragic epidemic.

About the Opioid Action Program
In 2017, Cardinal Health launched the Opioid Action Program, a pilot program aimed at helping communities in across the Appalachian region, including in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia, four of the nation's hardest-hit states. The program delivers much needed front-line tools to help prevent opioid abuse and support communities, schools and first responders. The Opioid Action Program also builds on Generation Rx, the prescription drug misuse prevention program created in 2009 through a partnership of the Cardinal Health Foundation and the Ohio State University College of Pharmacy. For more information, please visit www.cardinalhealth.com/opioidactionprogram.

About Cardinal Health
Cardinal Health, Inc. CAH is a global, integrated healthcare services and products company, providing customized solutions for hospitals, healthcare systems, pharmacies, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories and physician offices worldwide. The company provides clinically proven medical products, pharmaceuticals and cost-effective solutions that enhance supply chain efficiency from hospital to home. Cardinal Health connects patients, providers, payers, pharmacists and manufacturers for integrated care coordination and better patient management. To help combat prescription drug abuse, the company and its education partners created Generation Rx, a national drug education and awareness program. Backed by nearly 100 years of experience, with approximately 50,000 employees in nearly 60 countries, Cardinal Health ranks #15 on the Fortune 500. For more information, visit cardinalhealth.com, follow @CardinalHealth on Twitter, @cardinalhealthwings on Facebook and connect on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/ company/cardinal-health.

¹ The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Pain Management and the Opioid Epidemic: Balancing Societal and Individual Benefits and Risks of Prescription Opioid Use. Available online at: https://www.nap.edu/catalog/24781/pain-management-and-the-opioid-epidemic-balancing-societal-and-individual

² The President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, Draft Interim Report. Available online at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/presidents-commission

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SOURCE Cardinal Health