250 companies, schools and organizations pledged to make available overdose antidote naloxone during 2017.

Naloxone (often sold under its brand name Narcan) has long been seen as an integral factor in decreasing drug overdose deaths, and more companies have agreed to make Narcan available at work sites, classrooms, or anywhere drug fatalities occur. According to reports by The White House more companies are agreeing to make Narcan available in these settings where drug fatalities often take place.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/AFP [Photo by Greg Cohn-Martini/AP Photo/Getty Images North America]. Toggle caption
White House officials report that over 250 companies, universities, labor groups and other organizations have joined a national effort to reduce drug overdose deaths. They’ve agreed to stock free doses of Narcan (Naloxone), an overdose-reversing medicine designed to quickly reverse most cases of Fentanyl-opioid overdose. Participant organizations for this national naloxone push include major corporations like Amazon, the National Hockey League and United Airlines as well as universities. Labor, contractor organizations as well as restaurant and hospitality trade groups have also signed on. “From airlines and classrooms, to offices and sports arenas, we are immensely thankful that hundreds of organizations and businesses from across the nation have offered voluntary commitments,” noted Rahul Gupta, Biden administration’s drug czar in a Tuesday morning statement.
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Amazon will deploy naloxone medications at work sites with over 500,000 employees, while NHL teams have been encouraged to include it in medical kits kept on hand at hockey stadiums across America. According to data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), drug deaths have seen their largest improvement ever, dropping approximately 10% year over year since Amazon made this pledge.
Experts credit Narcan with being part of this reduction. Last year, it was approved as over-the-counter sale without prescription from U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Neera Tanden, White House domestic policy advisor Neera Tanden announced in a statement the federal government hopes naloxone is available in as many homes, workplaces and communities as possible in response to rising drug overdose deaths – estimated at roughly 111,000 drug overdose deaths reported between 2023-2024 alone. Most deaths caused by synthetic opioid fentanyl were from overdoses involving toxic chemical mixtures; starting around late 2023, fatal overdose deaths began reducing significantly; drug policy experts believe the trend accelerated significantly during 2024 with Missouri and Ohio seeing decreases of more than three quarters for drug deaths alone.
However, they’ve taken great pains in recent times to promote and expand this ideal.
Naloxone may be one factor attributed to this shift; however, researchers remain uncertain why or for how long. Other possible explanations could include wider use of opioid treatment medications Suboxone and methadone as well as reports that illegal street fentanyl supply has been disrupted in certain parts of the U.S.
Public health officials have welcomed the decline in deaths but note that fatal overdose rates still remain elevated, particularly among certain demographic groups like Black men, older Americans, and Native Americans who saw increases in drug deaths this year. Gupta insisted the U.S. “must double and triple down on its efforts now more than ever to help individuals deal with the opioid crisis”.