Drive to Make Naloxone More Available in U.K.

The anti-overdose drug naloxone should be made more available in the U.K. in order to stop preventable deaths among addicts, according to the government's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD).

The Guardian reported Sept. 13 that the panel wants drug counselors, shelter managers and others who work directly with opiate addicts to be able to administer the drug, which effectively blocks an overdose in progress.

Ambulance crews and other emergency-health workers are currently authorized to use naloxone, and the U.K.'s National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse recently trained 950 family members and caregivers to use the drug. “We consider that provisions should be extended to cover others who may be in contact with drug users through their work,” said Les Iversen, chair of the ACMD's technical committee.