U.S. Food & Drug Administration selects PwrdBy as the winner of the Naloxone App Competition

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- PwrdBy, a Santa Monica-based mobile-first tech company, in collaboration with Dr. Talib Omer, Professor of Emergency Medicine, University of Southern California (USC), has been selected as the winner of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's Naloxone App Competition with OD Help. The competition was directed at the public and private sector to come up with a creative, scalable, low-cost to the end-user, crowd-sourced smartphone application that connects people experiencing an opioid overdose to nearby carriers of naloxone, a prescription medication that quickly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose.

OD Help is a free, easy-to-use mobile app designed to connect any at-risk opioid user to an enrolled naloxone carrier.  OD Help provides two experiences: one for potential victims of an opioid overdose and their friends and family; the other for naloxone carriers.

For potential victims, and anyone near them, OD Help will allow them to request naloxone from a network of carriers.  If the victim is alone and therefore unable to call for help, OD Help is paired with the Spire breathing monitor which can detect when a victim's breathing rate is in a dangerous range. Should OD Help detect an overdose is occurring, it can also summon a naloxone carrier to the geolocation of the victim.  

For the person carrying naloxone, OD Help will provide immediate information as to the location of the overdose, the ability to communicate with the victim or someone near them, and with a network of trusted naloxone carriers identified by the at-risk opioid user.

"The entire PwrdBy organization is extremely honored to have been chosen as the winner of the Naloxone App Competition. It is our sincere hope that the proposed concepts around the OD Help app are embraced and supported by members of the tech & medical community. We look forward to engaging with many of the other teams that submitted a proposal to the FDA, and now turn our full attention to working with the National Institutes of Health on making the OD Help app a reality." – Jared Sheehan, CEO PwrdBy

OD Help stands to support the multifaceted Opioid Action Plan released by the FDA earlier this year and PwrdBy is in the process of building partnerships to ensure the app reaches the people who need it most. PwrdBy is exploring funding opportunities to support the development of OD Help, including applying for grants with the Small Business Innovation Research program.

By leveraging mobile technology, PwrdBy believes OD Helpwill give people addicted to opioids a second chance at life by expanding access to naloxone. 

About PwrdBy
PwrdBy is a mobile-first technology company developing scalable mobile strategies and technology for leading organizations, including nonprofits, government organizations and hospitals.

For more information, please contact Ashley Sundquist at (T) 310-260-4096 (E) Ashley@pwrdby.com

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SOURCE PwrdBy