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Working together: Expanding the availability of naloxone for peer administration to prevent opioid overdose deaths in the A ustralian C apital T erritory and beyond
Author(s) -
Lenton Simon,
Dietze Paul,
Olsen Anna,
Wiggins Nicole,
McDonald David,
Fowlie Carrie
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
drug and alcohol review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.018
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1465-3362
pISSN - 0959-5236
DOI - 10.1111/dar.12198
Subject(s) - (+) naloxone , opioid overdose , heroin , medicine , context (archaeology) , harm reduction , medical prescription , opioid , medical emergency , psychiatry , nursing , drug , public health , geography , receptor , archaeology
Issue Since the mid‐1990s, there have been calls to make naloxone, a prescription‐only medicine in many countries, available to heroin and other opioid users and their peers and family members to prevent overdose deaths. Context In A ustralia there were calls for a trial of peer naloxone in 2000, yet at the end of that year, heroin availability and harm rapidly declined, and a trial did not proceed. In other countries, a number of peer naloxone programs have been successfully implemented. Although a controlled trial had not been conducted, evidence of program implementation demonstrated that trained injecting drug‐using peers and others could successfully administer naloxone to reverse heroin overdose, with few, if any, adverse effects. Approach In 2009 A ustralian drug researchers advocated the broader availability of naloxone for peer administration in cases of opioid overdose. Industrious local advocacy and program development work by a number of stakeholders, notably by the C anberra A lliance for H arm M inimisation and A dvocacy, a drug user organisation, contributed to the rollout of A ustralia's first prescription naloxone program in the A ustralian C apital T erritory ( ACT ). Over the subsequent 18 months, prescription naloxone programs were commenced in four other A ustralian states. Implications The development of A ustralia's first take‐home naloxone program in the ACT has been an ‘ice‐breaker’ for development of other A ustralian programs. Issues to be addressed to facilitate future scale‐up of naloxone programs concern scheduling and cost, legal protections for lay administration, prescribing as a barrier to scale‐up; intranasal administration, administration by service providers and collaboration between stakeholders. [Lenton S, Dietze P, Olsen A, Wiggins N, McDonald D, Fowlie C. Working together: Expanding the availability of naloxone for peer administration to prevent opioid overdose deaths in the Australian Capital Territory and beyond. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015;34:404–411]