Michigan chief medical executive urges wider naloxone access as fentanyl and xylazine drive overdoses

Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive for the state of Michigan, told the House Oversight Subcommittee on Homeland Security and Foreign Influence at a committee hearing that fentanyl now figures in about 72 percent of overdose deaths in Michigan and that rapid expansion of naloxone distribution remains a top tool to prevent fatalities.

“Naloxone is a medication that directly reverses overdoses,” Bagdasarian said, describing the intranasal naloxone kit the state has distributed and the standing public-health policies that made broader access possible.

Bagdasarian summarized statewide data showing overdose deaths rose sharply after fentanyl entered the illicit supply and — while recent years show a decline from the peak — projected that Michigan would lose about 2,000 residents to overdose in 2024. She said that distribution and other programs funded through opioid settlement money have been central to reversing the trend: “A million kits have been distributed,” and, based on voluntary reports back to the state, “29,000 have been responsible for overdose reversals.”

The physician described how naloxone works and why the state chose a 4-milligram intranasal formulation for…