Company donating opioid reversal drug injectors

Lake County and federal officials plan to gather Tuesday to accept a donation of an opioid overdose reversal drug.

Officials from the Lake County Health Department announced Friday that automatic injectors of naloxone will be donated by Virginia-based pharmaceutical company Kaleo Inc. Commonly used in heroin overdoses, officials said the product called Evzio saved 33 lives in Lake County in 2014.

Kaleo donate the hand-held, single-use Evzio automatic injectors to the health department for distribution to police departments last year. Kaleo received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for EVZIO in April 2014.

Proponents say police officers with naloxone who arrive to an overdose call before paramedics can help save lives.

With features such as a voice instructions and a retractable needle, Lake County Major Crime Task Force Cmdr. George Filenko said, Kaleo's automatic injector will be easier for officers to use than a spray or syringe.

Scheduled to be present at the health department for Tuesday's donation are Republican U.S. Rep. Robert Dold, Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor and Kaleo Vice President for Corporate Affairs Mark Herzog.