Business Daily - Follow the money: The antidote economy
Download Follow the money: The antidote economy
**This episode of Business Daily begins with a real call to 911**
There is an antidote for an opioid overdose. It costs a few dollars. The nasal spray technology means it can be administered without needles and can restart a person's breathing within minutes. So why doesn't it always reach the person on the floor? We following the money through the antidote economy. A life-saving drug that costs pennies to make sold over the counter for $52. But when drug companies were sued for their role in America's opioid crisis, some pharmaceutical companies' settlements included paying out using antidote kits valued at $125. Who profits, who pays, and what determines whether an overdose kit is ever in the room when it is needed?
Presenter: Sam Fenwick
Producers: Josh Martin and Matt Lines
(Photo: Two naloxone nasal spray medications used for opioid overdose sit on a brown table on 11 September 2024. Credit: Peg Alexander/BBC Images)
You can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk
Published on Monday, 27th July 2026.
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