A professor and his team at the University of the Pacific have come up with a more effective and long-lasting antidote for fentanyl and other opioid overdoses, the university announced.
Professor Mamoun Alhamadsheh and his researchers have developed an injection that can counter the effects of an opioid overdose in a single shot that can last for up to a week. Results of the study were published Thursday in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
The most common emergency treatment for overdoses, a nasal spray called Narcan, lasts up to 120 minutes, according to its maker, Emergent. Because an overdose of opioids — whether it’s fentanyl, heroin or another drug — can remain potentially lethal in the body for several hours, the pharmaceutical company, based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, says multiple doses may be needed.
Like Narcan, Alhamadsheh’s treatment uses the same active ingredient: naloxone. But it is an injection rather than a spray. He calls it a “new frontier in drug delivery systems.”
According to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2023, the most recent year for which data was available. Of those, 81,083 involved opioids.
While both numbers were a decrease from the previous year, according to data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, “fentanyl is (still) causing immense harm to communities across the U.S.,” said Alhamadsheh, noting that was among the reasons why he was motivated to develop a longer-acting opioid antidote.
“We urgently need solutions that save lives and provide extended protection in critical situations,” he said.
The slow release of Alhamadsheh’s treatment is made possible by repurposing a drug he discovered that binds to a protein in the blood. When administered, the drug collects in a pocket, or reservoir, under the skin and is slowly released for as long as a week, acting like “a continuous sprinkling system” in the body.
Alhamadsheh’s research at the Stockton-based university was funded with a $1.7-million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
His treatment alternative not only can save a life, but also minimizes withdrawal symptoms, according to the study, in which UOP post-doctoral fellow Hala Aldawod was the lead author.
Delivery would be safe, simple and cost-effective, research indicates. The antidote drug requires no refrigeration. It was effective in testing on rats, and it appears it would translate to humans, the Nature Communications article states. Thus, researchers believe it could be ideal for emergency situations.
“Knowing that our work could save lives, particularly among vulnerable populations, drives my passion for innovation,” said Aldawod, who earned her doctoral degree at UOP in 2024 and played a pioneering role in advancing the new technology.