Lifesaving Overdose Antidote Should Be Made Widely Available

Naloxone — the drug that safely reverses the potentially fatal effects of an opioid overdose — has successfully reversed more than 10,000 overdoses since 1996, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The data come from a survey of 48 overdose-prevention programs around the country that distribute naloxone to drug users and their friends and family.

The prescription-only antioverdose medication has long been available in hospitals and ambulances, but it wasn’t until 1996, when Dan Bigg, founder of the Chicago Recovery Alliance, suggested dispensing it directly to people at risk of overdose that naloxone became more widely available in the community.      Read Full