Opioid Giant Purdue Will Fund Nonprofit Overdose-Antidote Maker
- Purdue to donate $3.4 million to Harm Reduction Therapeutics
- New version of Narcan would be cheaper than current options
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Purdue Pharma LP will donate $3.4 million to a nonprofit firm developing a cheaper opioid-overdose antidote, part of an effort to repair the drugmaker’s image after years of being the face of the U.S.’s prescription pain pill crisis.
Harm Reduction Therapeutics Inc. is developing a version of Narcan, a nasal spray that uses the drug naloxone to quickly reverse overdoses. Purdue’s donation will speed up development of the product by about 12 months, and the nonprofit hopes to launch its drug within two years. Purdue said it won’t receive any revenue or royalties.