Rising price of drug that reverses heroin overdoses worries advocates who fear more deaths

States are making it easier to get access to a drug that reverses overdoses cause by heroin and other opioids.

But officials and advocates are finding a new obstacle to the life-saving antidote. The price is rising fast.

Some programs that distribute naloxone (nuh-LAHX'-ohn) are finding they cannot buy as many doses of the antidote as they had anticipated.

The price now is about twice what it was last fall. Amphastar, the California drug company some officials have blamed for the price increase, says manufacturing costs have been increasing.

Officials in Ohio and New York have negotiated discounts to help police departments and community groups pay for naloxone.