The Broome County Sheriff's Office Fentanyl Fighter Pilot program was launched in April this year, with the goal of helping combat the opioid crisis in the county.

This was done by having selected members of the Broome County Sheriff's road patrol and Corrections divisions carry the FDA-regulated nasal spray Opvee(Nalmefene Hydrochloride) in addition to Narcan.

According to the New York State Health Department, Opvee is not approved under the New York State Public Health law and therefore cannot be legally used in any pilot programs.

In a statement from Broome County sheriff Fred Akshar, he said "Opvee worked exactly as it should in the field, restoring breathing within 45 seconds and long after Narcan was unable to do so."

Akshar also referenced statistics from the health department citing that from 2015-2021, opioid overdose deaths in New York involving synthetic opioids increased from 30.8% to 91.6%, a total increase of 197.4%.

The Department of Health says Opvee has no known history of use in emergency departments or ambulance settings, and there is no clinical data on the severity of withdrawal.

The sheriff's office suspended the program after receiving a letter from the Attorney General's office but has still expressed its support for expanding overdose prevention methods for law enforcement with Akshar saying, "Ending the monopoly and expanding the availability of ‘fentanyl fighters’ not only has broad, bi-partisan support in the New York State legislature, but the support of the Buffalo News editorial board. That’s because this isn’t about petty politics, it’s about saving lives - something that I and every member of the office of the sheriff remain committed to doing.”

The Sheriff's Office did cancel the program following the letter from the NYSAG Office.