- Despite the recently reported national decline in opioid overdose deaths, many U.S. communities, including New Orleans, continue to see an increase in accidental drug-related deaths year over year
- The ‘Lay, Spray, Stay’ opioid overdose educational video featuring Smith and how to use NARCAN® Nasal Spray will appear on local taxi television screens throughout the city
- Hundreds of NARCAN® Nasal Spray cartons will be given away to people in New Orleans throughout the weekend
GAITHERSBURG, Md., Feb. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE: EBS) announced today that it is raising awareness of the Ready to Rescue initiative in New Orleans with pro football legend and NARCAN® Nasal Spray spokesperson, Emmitt Smith, as the city welcomes an anticipated 83,000 fans for the Big Game. For the past two years, Smith has traveled the country sharing his personal connection to the opioid epidemic to help reduce the stigma around accidental opioid poisonings and educate communities on how to save a life with NARCAN® Nasal Spray. Now, as New Orleans gears up to host one of the biggest events of the year, Emergent and Smith will continue these efforts to ensure the city is prepared to act in an opioid emergency, which can happen anytime, anywhere and to anyone.
Recent data reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show a national reduction in opioid overdose deaths for the first time in five years.i Despite this overall decline, there is still more work to be done as many U.S. communities continue to see an increase in accidental drug-related deaths year over year – including New Orleans.ii In fact, in 2022, there were still nearly twice as many drug-related overdose deaths as homicides in New Orleans.iii For these reasons, increased access to education on opioid overdose risks and NARCAN® Nasal Spray is critical.
That’s why Emergent’s public education campaign with Smith explaining how to administer NARCAN® Nasal Spray using three simple steps – Lay, Spray, Stay – will be displayed via taxi television screens throughout the city leading up to Sunday’s game. Smith will also be speaking to national and local media onsite to highlight how this life-saving medication can reverse the effects of an opioid poisoning in minutes and is available over the counter giving everyone the power to save a life.
“All eyes will be on New Orleans this weekend and as part of our ongoing efforts to educate the masses on opioid emergency preparedness, we hope to use this key cultural moment as a way to encourage more conversation about the realities of opioid poisonings and how tools like NARCAN® Nasal Spray can save lives,” said Paul Williams, SVP and products business head, Emergent. “We remain committed to helping to stem the tide of opioid overdose deaths, and believe over the counter access to NARCAN® Nasal Spray and our work with government, advocacy, businesses and retail partners are paramount to keeping communities safer and ready to rescue.”
Learn more about how you can access NARCAN® Nasal Spray and be prepared to save a life at NARCAN.com.
Emmitt Smith is a paid spokesperson for Emergent.
About NARCAN® Nasal Spray
NARCAN® Naloxone HCl Nasal Spray 4 mg is the first FDA-approved, over-the-counter (OTC) 4 mg naloxone product for the emergency treatment of opioid overdose. NARCAN® Nasal Spray is not a substitute for emergency medical care. Repeat dosing may be necessary. Use as directed.
About Emergent BioSolutions
At Emergent, our mission is to protect and enhance life. For over 25 years, we’ve been at work defending people from things we hope will never happen—so we are prepared just in case they ever do. We provide solutions for complex and urgent public health threats through a portfolio of vaccines and therapeutics that we develop and manufacture for governments and consumers. We also offer a range of integrated contract development and manufacturing services for pharmaceutical and biotechnology customers. To learn more about how we plan to protect or enhance 1 billion lives by 2030, visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. We generally identify forward-looking statements by using words like “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “future,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “position,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions or variations thereof, or the negative thereof, but these terms are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. Forward-looking statements are based on our current intentions, beliefs and expectations regarding future events based on information that is currently available. We cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statements will be accurate. Readers should realize that if underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could differ materially from our expectations. Readers are, therefore, cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this press release, and, except as required by law, we do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect new information, events or circumstances.
There are a number of important factors that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated by any forward-looking statements. Readers should consider this cautionary statement, as well as the risk factors and other disclosures included in our periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, when evaluating our forward-looking statements.
Investor Contact:
Richard S. Lindahl
Executive Vice President, CFO
lindahlr@ebsi.com
Media Contact:
Assal Hellmer
Vice President, Communications
mediarelations@ebsi.com
i U.S. Overdose Deaths Decrease in 2023, First Time Since 2018
ii 2023 Coroner's Report on Accidental Drug-Related Deaths in New Orleans | Orleans Coroner
iii 2023 Annual Opioid Report
