The federal government has the authority to make or buy a patented invention without the permission and has used this tactic in the past to increase availability of drugs to protect public health. (Photo: Shutterstock)

The Trump administration should fight the opioid epidemic with a novel weapon, say the city of Baltimore and a consumer advocacy group: overriding patents on the widely used overdose antidote naloxone.

By overriding patents for naloxone treatments including Kaleo Inc.’s injectable Evzio and Adapt Pharma Inc.’s Narcan nasal spray, the government could lower the cost and increase availability of the antidote, Baltimore’s health department and Public Citizen said in a letter to the White House on Thursday.

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