The growing number of opioid overdoses has increased the demand for the overdose reversal drug naloxone, writes Charlotte Tuggle for WBAA Public Radio.

In Indiana, for example, first responders are going through their supplies of medication more quickly. This is due to overdoses triggered by multiple opioid types that require larger or repeated doses of Narcan, a nasal spray manufactured by Radnor’s Adapt Pharma.

Adapt Pharma spokesman Thom Duddy said that the effectiveness of the treatment is not compromised when treating an overdose caused by a mix of opioids. However, he did emphasize that stronger cases triggered by synthetic opioids may require larger doses of Narcan.

According to Justin Phillips, founder of the Overdose Lifeline group, first responders are sometimes required to administer as many as a dozen doses of naloxone to combat a mixed-drug overdose. But she emphasized that this is still a better option than not using it at all.

“If we did not have naloxone, the bodies would be piled up the way we saw in history with plagues,” she said.

Phillips added that while emergency responders in Indiana are not yet facing a shortage of the drug, the need for an increased number of doses is depleting supplies more quickly than expected.

Read more about the demand for Narcan from WBAA Public Radio by clicking here.