PENNSYLVANIA (WHTM) – Pennsylvania leaders are calling on the Shapiro Administration to give them more tools to fight and prevent opioid deaths.

Pennsylvania has a standing order that allows first responders to use the life-saving drug, Narcan for when a person overdoses.

“The standing order was written a long time ago. There was only one reversal agent at the time, which was Naloxone or Narcan,” said Ambulance Association of Pennsylvania President Gary Watters.

Narcan was approved by the FDA in March 2023. The standing order to provide over the counter went into effect in November 2023. Since that order was written, “there’s been some others that have been approved that the FDA has approved.”

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So, Pennsylvania leaders are asking the Shapiro Administration to update the standing order to include all FDA approved reversal medications.

“There’s just been a lot of research and a lot of new technology put into these opioid antagonists because of the epidemic that’s going on. And, you know, quite frankly, it’s just newer products and probably better patient outcomes by using some of these other antagonists,” said Watters.

Watters says including, OPVEE, the first Nalmefene Hydrochloride nasal spray. It’s also used to reverse an opioid overdose and was approved by the FDA in May 2023.

“Is actually a little bit better at treating fentanyl than Narcan is. It just has a little longer acting effect against the being an attack against against the opioid the synthetic opioid,” said Watters.

Steve Barndt, the executive director of JFT Recovery and Veterans Support Services says, “these things can help and definitely if your loved one is in that situation I would want the EMT to be there with everything he could possibly have to save that person’s life.”

The CDC says overdose deaths decreased in 2023, the first time since 2018.

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