Price of heroin overdose antidote increases

Earlier this year, as New Jersey's heroin epidemic continued to get worse, police departments and EMS crews began carrying and administering the opiate antidote naloxone to overdose victims. However, an increase in cost for the drug may mean prevent some providers from having adequate supplies on hand.

Over the past few months, the manufacturer increased the price of the drug almost 100 percent, so a naloxone kit that was $52 now costs about $100.

This has raised fears that some providers, especially non-profits, may not be able to afford to keep supplies of naloxone in the near future.

"You can understand there may be additional costs if there are manufacturing difficulties or distribution issues but when you have a 100 percent increase, what the drug manufacturer is doing here is saying now there is a demand, this is pure capitalism, and that we're just going to jump on the bandwagon and see what the market will bear," said Joseph Coronato, the Ocean County Prosecutor who led the charge to allow law enforcement and EMS crews to carry naloxone.

He also said the fact that the price of naloxone has doubled is outrageous.

"It's a drug that essentially saves lives and to me it's pure price-gouging," he said. "It just seems to me that it's pure greed, and it's unconscionable when you're dealing with medicine that's out there just to save somebody's life."

Coronato added if you're talking about raising the price of a product like a pair of jeans or an iPod it's up to you if you want to spend a lot of money for it.

"But when you're dealing with a drug that it's essence is to save a life, to me it's an outrage, it's despicable, it's wrong, just pure wrong," Coronato said.

Kaleo pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of naloxone, was contacted for comment. Late Monday, a spokesman responded by email, saying unfortunately the CEO was not able to offer a comment.