Police Receives Donation of Injectors for Overdose Cases

The Dunwoody Police Department has received a donation of EVZIO™ naloxone auto-injectors from kaléo, the Richmond, Virginia-based pharmaceutical company.

EVZIO is the first and only FDA-approved naloxone product specifically indicated for the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose as manifested by respiratory and/or central nervous system depression and is intended for immediate administration as emergency therapy in settings where opioids may be present, including outside of supervised medical settings. Nearly 17,000 Americans die each year from prescription opioid overdose and unintended drug poisoning has surpassed automobile collisions as the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., driven largely by prescription opioids. Opioid overdose can cause a person’s breathing to severely slow down and even stop.

EVZIO is a pre-filled, single-use, hand-held auto-injector that works by temporarily blocking the effect of an opioid, potentially reversing the life-threatening respiratory depression and allowing the recipient to breathe more regularly. Each EVZIO device uses voice and visual cues to assist in guiding the user through the process and delivers a single 0.4 mg dose of naloxone. EVZIO is not a substitute for emergency medical care.

“After attending the Heroin and Opioids - A Community Crisis summit presented by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Atlanta, and seeing an increase in the number of calls for service we receive that involve opioid overdoses, it was clear that we needed to do everything we could to equip our officers with this easy to carry and administer life-saving drug. Our officers often arrive at the scene before EMS personnel and can administer this drug when seconds matter” said Dunwoody Police Department Sergeant Robert Parsons.

“We are pleased to be making this donation as a part of our commitment to widen access to naloxone,” said T. Spencer Williamson, CEO of kaléo. “We are honored to support the outstanding efforts of the first responder community to help save the lives of those who are experiencing an opioid overdose.”

EVZIO first became available in the United States by prescription in July 2014. Naloxone was approved for use by Law Enforcement in 2014 by Georgia House Bill 965.