naloxone

Multiple state agencies put out a warning this week about a concerning new opioid that’s becoming more prevalent in the state.

Naloxone is a life-saving medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. Now, it is largely available across Missouri. But a proposed budget cut could dramatically reduce its availability.

The University of Missouri-St. Louis released its 2024 Drug Overdose Death Report and 2025 Annual Naloxone Report, which found that drug overdoses were down 26%, and naloxone product distribution reached a record high.

Investment in medicines like Narcan, an overdose-reversing drug, has allowed many Missourians to respond to opioid overdoses quickly. But more work is needed to address barriers to care and other stigmas, especially in rural areas.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services appears poised to cut a $56 million annual grant program that pays for some of Missouri's overdose reversal medication and training.

Missouri officials say the overdose reversal drug naloxone helped contribute to the first decrease in drug-related deaths in nearly a decade.

Stacey Andrews and Lynn Meyerkord both work at the AIDS Project of the Ozarks, or APO, in Springfield. They spoke about the history of harm reduction and how folks may already be using harm reduction techniques in their everyday lives.

Rachel Winograd is the director of the Addiction Science, Practice, Implementation, Research, & Education (ASPIRE) Lab at the University of Missouri St. Louis.

Several Missouri communities were recently awarded grant funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to address opioid overdoses and neonatal abstinence syndrome in rural communities.

In a historic step on March 29, the Food and Drug Administration approved Narcan for over-the-counter sale. Here's how this harm reduction measure might impact people here in Columbia.