There are many tools in the war on drug addiction. One can save the life of an addict, giving him or her a chance to make a new start.

Schuylkill County’s Drug & Alcohol Agency is seeking bids for the purchase of naloxone, in both injectable and nasal administration doses.

The Schuylkill County Commissioners approved the bid process during a meeting Wednesday, acting on a request from Drug and Alcohol Agency Director Melissa Kalyan.

Bids will be received in the office of County Controller Christy Joy until March 4 and opened at 9 a.m. March 6. The tentative bid award date is March 13. The Drug and Alcohol Agency previously received a $30,000 grant for the purchase.

Narcan is the brand name for a drug called naloxone. Opioids such as heroin bind to opioid receptors, which can cause a user’s breathing and heart rate to slow to the point of oxygen deprivation. Narcan reverses that effect.

– Lisa Price