Feb 22, 2024 4 min read

By Nick Sherman

Addiction is a terrible disease. I’ve seen it firsthand working in the mental health field for nearly 20 years. It’s pernicious, sneaky and can fly under the radar. It can build over time or happen instantly. It can be linked to a genetic history or come out of the blue. It can be – and often is – deadly.

This is true for any drug addiction – but especially for opioids. Their highly addictive attributes can make a first-time use lethal. Over the years, there has been a greater focus and emphasis on treatment options and breaking the cycle of addiction. But an individual needs to be alive for treatment options and recovery programs to work. That’s why it is so critical that Pennsylvania expand its policy regarding overdose reversal agents.

Washington County and the commonwealth are not immune to the opioid epidemic. Data from the state attorney general’s office shows that 14 Pennsylvanians die every day from an overdose. In 2022, more than 5,000 individuals died from a drug overdose – 84.3% of which were opioid related.

Despite the vastness of the opioid problem, Pennsylvania policymakers took a very narrow approach in drafting the language of the state’s health guidelines as it pertains to overdose reversal agents. The current language only allows for the utilization of Narcan (Naloxone). The guidelines don’t take into account that medical researchers are constantly learning and developing new techniques and methods. This is true for all aspects of medicine – including overdose reversal agents. In fact, there are several such products that have either recently been approved or are under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These new products have different chemical makeups and contain some additional benefits – including having a longer duration.

The additional benefits that these new agents have are critically important given the rise in synthetic opioids in the illicit drug market. Synthetic opioids – such as fentanyl – are stronger, faster acting and stay in an individual’s body longer than their more natural counterparts. They are also more lethal. The potent duration of synthetic opioids means that they can outlast the effects of Narcan – leading to the potential for a re-overdose. Making a challenging situation even more deadly is the fact that fentanyl overdoses occur much more quickly than natural overdoses. As is widely known, overdoses can lead to long-term physical and mental disabilities and often death.

That is not to say that Narcan hasn’t been effective. It has and continues to be. It should remain a critical part of our efforts to stop overdoses. But as new options are approved by the FDA, they should also be readily available for law enforcement, first responders and medical personnel.

We need to stay on the cutting edge of treatment methods. Our collective efforts can’t be waylaid or sidetracked by antiquated and outdated state health guidelines. Too many lives are at risk. Imagine the heartbreak of knowing your loved one could have potentially been saved if it weren’t for the state staying stuck in neutral in its efforts to combat the opioid crisis.

The good news is change can be made quickly. All it requires is agreement by the administration of Gov. Josh Shapiro to update the commonwealth’s standing health orders to allow for the utilization of all FDA-approved opioid reversal agents. There is no logical reason why this change shouldn’t take place. The FDA is our country’s preeminent authority on drug and food safety. If they give the ok, that’s all it should take for the product to be authorized in each state. But as it stands in Pennsylvania, those additional resources are not available to those on the front lines combatting the opioid crisis. And those resources will remain off limits until the language of the health guidelines is updated.

We are in the midst of a full-blown health crisis when it comes to opioid addiction and the illicit drug market. I urge the governor to act now and help better support those trying to stop the deadly effects of opioid addiction. We can’t afford to wait.

Nick Sherman is the chairman of the Washington County Board of Commissioners.