Emergent BioSolutions is mounting another ad blitz, teaming up again with the former NFL star Emmitt Smith to get the message out about how to use Narcan to tackle opioid overdoses.
Maryland-based Emergent enlisted Smith, a record-breaking NFL running back who played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1990 to 2002, as a spokesperson for Narcan last year. Smith came on board in the wake of the launch of an over-the-counter version of Narcan. By traveling with Smith to talk to people at college football tailgates, Emergent aimed to reach the age group with the highest rate of opioid misuse.
Now, Emergent has put Smith at the center of an emergency preparedness public education campaign. Working with substance use nonprofit SAFE Project, the drugmaker has built the campaign around the message “lay, spray, stay.” Smith discussed his involvement in a one-minute education video.
“Pro football and fatherhood have taught me you need the right equipment for what life throws your way, including an opioid emergency. I've lost teammates and loved ones to accidental opioid poisoning, but now I'm prepared to save a life,” Smith said. “An opioid poisoning can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. Learn the signs and symptoms of an opioid emergency and always be ready to rescue.”
The video shows Smith explaining the “lay, spray, stay” method, in which the person who has overdosed is laid down, given Narcan and accompanied until emergency help arrives. Spreading the message in the video and radio segments is intended to give more people the knowledge they need to treat overdoses.
People will also need an overdose reversal drug. Emergent competes with Harm Reduction Therapeutics for the OTC market. In the first quarter, Emergent named OTC sales as a driver of the 18% increase in Narcan sales and a factor in its forecast that commercial product sales could hit $500 million this year.
On a conference call to discuss the results, Richard Lindahl, chief financial officer at Emergent, said “the majority of the sales” are still coming from the public interest channel but the OTC rollout is “gaining traction.”