HARTFORD — The manufacturer of the device that delivers doses of naloxone, which reverses the effects of a heroin overdose, has recalled their product and State Police are planning on using backup devices until replacements come next week.
The device, an Intranasal Mucosal Atomization Device, has been used by State Police and other emergency personnel since October 2014. State police said they have saved 33 lives since they started carrying naloxone.
On Friday, Teleflex Medical issued a recall of multiple lots of this device. Connecticut State Police spokes person Trooper Tyler Weerden said troopers were carrying some of the devices being recalled. The company stated, “The defective products may not deliver a fully atomized plume of the medication, which may impair its effectiveness and lead to serious injury or death in certain emergency situations.”
State police said the medication may run out of the patient’s nose and not be absorbed in the nasal passages.
Trooper Weerden said in a statement:
“Because the benefits of using Narcan clearly outweigh any problems associated with a faulty applicator, we consulted with the Departments of Public Health, Mental Health and Addiction Services, and Consumer Protection, before taking several steps to continue to maximize our ability to revive persons who may have overdosed on opioids, pending replacement of the defective kits as soon as next week. These steps include dispatching troopers with sufficient kits to every suspected opioid overdose in the event that the dispensing mechanism on one device fails.
It is important to note that the products affected by this week’s recall may be less effective, but are not harmful to use.”
