*By Christian Smith*
After an overdose earlier this week, Demi Lovato's life was reportedly saved by Narcan, a nasal administrator of naloxone that counteracts the effects of opioids. When administered quicklyーthrough either nasal mist or injectionーnaloxone can temporarily halt an overdose, allowing EMTs enough time to respond. The medication is available without a prescription in 49 states, and the generic version costs about $20 per dose.
But all merits aside, is the drug's accessibility enabling addicts to push their limits?
Dr. Roger Crystal, the lead inventor of Narcan and CEO of Opiant Pharmaceuticals, says there's little evidence to support that concern.
"Addiction like any kind of chronic disease is something you can control using better medication, but ultimately you can't cure," Crystal told Cheddar. "To think about an opioid addict behaving rationally and saying, 'well because I have access to Narcan I'll shoot more heroin, inject more heroin' there's no proof for that whatsoever."
Naloxone is considered some of the best ammunition on the front lines of America's growing opioid epidemic. A reported 2 million Americans have an addition to opioidsーand the number isn't going down. U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams [issued an advisory](https://www.surgeongeneral.gov/priorities/opioid-overdose-prevention/naloxone-advisory.html) in April urging anyoneーand their close family and friendsーwho uses painkillers, heroin, fentanyl, or other opioids to carry naloxone in case of an emergency.
Crystal isn't stopping at Narcan: he told Cheddar he's also developing a heroin vaccine, suggesting the inventor has lofty ambitions for the future of overdose prevention.
Although Crystal may be aware of lingering ethical concerns, he doesn't think they dwarf his mission. After all, Lovato has him to thank.
"Putting it in the hands of everyone and anyone is critical," Crystal said.
For more on this story, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-one-pharmaceutical-company-is-fighting-the-opioid-epidemic).
Jurors in the trial against Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes have entered day six of deliberations. Holmes is accused of lying to investors about the functionality of a newly developed blood-testing technology. Andrew George, partner at Baker Botts, joined Cheddar to break down key points in the case and what the jury might be considering during their deliberations. He also noted that the rest of Silicon Valley, including Holmes' business partner, Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani, who is facing identical charges, is closely watching the outcome of deliberations — as it could set the tone for future regulations and Balwani's own trial.
According to researchers, the state of California's cap-and-trade program is currently being undermined by forest fires caused primarily by climate change. Over the past few years, trees that were set aside for the program have been releasing carbon as they continue to burn in fires. Climate Researcher and Policy Director at CarbonPlan Danny Cullenward, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
The CDC's latest update to its COVID-19 quarantine guidelines reduces the isolation period from ten days to just five for people who test positive but are asymptomatic. Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell, regional clinical director at Carbon Health, spoke to Cheddar's Baker Machado about the new guidance. She noted that while the reduced quarantine time "makes sense," the CDC should also require that a person test negative after their quarantine and before interacting with the public. "There is science behind it. We know that the majority of illness happens, or transmission, one to two days before the onset of symptoms and then two to three days as you have symptoms. So there is science behind the reducement of the actual five days," she said.
Prices at the pump this year reached a seven-year high, and a new forecast from GasBuddy shared with CNN predicts that gas prices will only continue to rise in 2022 and that the national average could even reach $4.00 a gallon; however, analysts at GasBuddy say anything could happen when it comes to gas prices in the future, as the pandemic has made it difficult to make any predictions about the economy. Consumer Energy Alliance federal policy advisor Michael Zehr joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
As the Omicron variant is fueling a surge in COVID-19 cases, parents and schools are faced with tough choices between absences and outbreaks. Matt Barnum, a national reporter at Chalkbeat, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Ron Gutman, Co-CEO of Intrivo, joins Cheddar News to discuss how the company is creating a test and tech solution for Covid testing called 2Gather, and how it's using data-driven digital diagnostics to make these tests widely available and affordable.
As 2021 winds down, the number of positive COVID-19 cases has surged dramatically with numbers not seen since the heights of the pandemic. Dr. Laolu Fayanju, the regional medical director at primary care provider Oak Street Health, joined Cheddar to discuss the numbers, how the healthcare system is handling the surge this time around, and what it means that the CDC just cut the quarantine time guideline in half for those who are infected. "These are incredibly high numbers because they reflect the transmissibility of the omicron variant," Fayanju said.
