Mass. Cities Can Buy Narcan At Discounted Rate

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts cities and towns can begin purchasing the overdose reversal drug naloxone at a discounted rate.

Attorney General Maura Healey made the announcement Wednesday, at the start of the holiday season.

Healey said the holidays are traditionally a time when overdose rates have spiked.

The state's Naloxone Bulk Purchasing Trust Fund allows first responders to buy naloxone — also known as Narcan — at a deeply discounted rate of $20 per dose.

They can also have the drug, along with an atomization delivery device, sent to them.

Healey said that until now municipalities have been paying from $33 to $67 per dose of the drug, not including the cost of the atomizer.

Naloxone has become a critical life-saving tool as the state's opioid overdose numbers have spiked in recent years.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.