Dan Martin / news@whmi.com

Livingston County is working to make sure first responders have yet another tool in the fight against opioid overdoses. The county is conducting a pilot program that adds another life-saving medication to save those in the grip of opioids.

Michigan’s opioid drug overdose crisis has significantly elevated with the shift to synthetic opioids like fentanyl, which is 50 times more potent than heroin. Michigan’s First responders are finding that it takes more than one dose of Narcan to be effective in overdose cases. The new tool is a nasal spray called Opvee, which is said to be more effective in reversing the effects of an overdose.

Opvee is a drug antagonist that reverses the effects of opioids, and can be life saving when opioid overdose is occurring. It stays in the body longer than Narcan. Reports say it is safe to use to restore normal breathing and blood pressure during an overdose.

In 2022, 2,993 people in Michigan died of drug overdoses, with fentanyl being the leading cause of opioid related overdose deaths.

Last November, The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department was the first law enforcement agency to conduct a similar pilot program, and the results have been promising.