Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Pharmaceutical Company Cuts NY A Break On Life-Saving Heroin Antidote
By
Lauren Evans
Published Feb 5, 2015
Modified Feb 5, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Getty Images
By
Lauren Evans
Published Feb 5, 2015
Modified Feb 5, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
It's no coincidence that the price of naloxone, a drug used to reverse the effects of a heroin overdose, was promptly doubled after police began carrying it last year. Now, the attorney general has cut a deal with Amphastar Pharmaceuticals that will cap the cost of naloxone through a rebate program.
According to a release from AG Eric Schneiderman, the new contract will offer a $6 rebate per dose, reducing the wholesale price of the drug by nearly 20 percent. The agreement is the result of a concerned letter Schneiderman sent to Amphastar last year expressing that the increased price could block access to the drug.
"It is essential that we secure our state’s access to this powerful, life-saving antidote,” Schneiderman said in a statement. “My office responded swiftly to negotiate the best possible price of naloxone, which is an essential tool in our multifaceted approach to combat the scourge of heroin abuse in New York. This deal ensures that we can continue to give New Yorkers who have overdosed on opioids a second chance at life—and rehabilitation.”
An injectable dose of naloxone costs $3, but many police departments, including the NYPD, have opted to use a form of the drug administered as a nasal spray, which requires a higher concentration and also less medical training. This form of naloxone comes in a kit that used to cost around $20, and now costs in excess of $40.
Opioid overdoses were behind the deaths of 2,000 New Yorkers in 2011, more than double the number killed in 2004. Nationally, fatal heroin doses increased 45 percent from 2006 to 2010.
Tagged
attorney general
drugs
heroin
naloxone
pharmaceutical companies
Lauren Evans
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
2 men accused of stabbing off-duty NYPD detective in the Bronx plead not guilty
Sneider Mejia and D’Angelo Caraballo are both facing several charges, including attempted first-degree murder.
By
Charles Lane
and
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 2:40 p.m. ET
Man who pushed his baby and her mother from a Bronx balcony arraigned from psych ward
Angel Carrasco, who shoved his infant daughter and her mother from a 15th floor balcony, appeared virtually in Bronx criminal court.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
News
Man who pushed his baby and her mother from a Bronx balcony arraigned from psych ward
Angel Carrasco, who shoved his infant daughter and her mother from a 15th floor balcony, appeared virtually in Bronx criminal court.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
NYC looks to grow involvement in Open Streets as applications open for 2027
By
Catalina Gonella
New Yorkers are paying $300 million for natural gas they don't even use
By
Rosemary Misdary
Early Addition: Eric Adams did not convince a Wisconsin town to build a data center
By
James Ramsay
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .