A ‘life-saving’ drug to prevent opioid overdose is to be made more widely available in England without prescription. The drug naloxone will be given to addicts at risk of an opioid overdose for use in an emergency.
Until now, only drug and alcohol treatment services could provide naloxone for home use. Under the new legislation, nurses, paramedics, police officers and probation workers will be able to supply naloxone for vulnerable people to take home.
Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said: 'Opioid addiction can ruin lives and is responsible for the largest proportion of drug-related deaths across the UK.
'We are working hard to reduce those numbers by expanding access to naloxone to save the lives of the most vulnerable.'
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- Funding boost to drug and alcohol services across England
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Opioid-related deaths, from heroin or powerful synthetic opioids like fentanyl, make up the biggest proportion of drug fatalities across the UK. There is an average of 40 deaths a week across the country.
Naloxone reverses the effects of an opioid overdose by quickly reversing breathing difficulties and can prevent drug related deaths.
The move to make the drug widely available is part of a 10-year plan by the Government to 'expand and improve the drug and alcohol treatment and recovery workforce'. It was a key recommendation in an independent review of drugs in 2020 headed by Dame Carol Black, who welcomed the move.
‘When I did my independent review of drugs, I heard first-hand what a life-saving intervention naloxone is. Widening access to naloxone is key to reducing the number of lives lost to overdose and will help support the Government's ambition to prevent nearly 1,000 deaths in England by the end of 2025,’ said Dame Carol.
‘I am pleased to see such a strong positive response to the consultation and welcome the government moving forward with these important changes,’ she said.