Tag: naloxone

Croatia presented a pilot project for the introduction of take home naloxone

Posted on by Milutin

Photos credit Tportal (© Hrvatski Telekom 2024)

The Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) held a presentation and education about take home naloxone that will be available from the end of September as a preventive medicine in the event of a drug overdose.

Krunoslav Capak, the director of HZJZ, in his address to the health workers, civil servants and coordinators of that program, pointed out that ‘drug use is a major health problem’ and that ‘in recent years we have seen an increase in deaths’ due to opiate overdose. In five years, Croatia had 468 cases directly related to drug use.

The head of the Department for Quality and Standards in the field of drug addiction and behavioral addictions, Josipa Lovorka Andreić, said that, according to HZJZ research, more than half of addicts have overdosed at least once, which only increases the possibility that their next overdose will be their last.

As a solution to this problem, the take home naloxone (Nyxoid) was presented. It is intended for use as emergency therapy in case of opioid overdose or suspected overdose.

The program will take place in two phases – the first will start this year within the prison system and penitentiaries, and the second next year through associations for the protection of mental health and therapeutic communities, as well as addiction prevention of county public health institutes.

The procurement of the drug begins immediately after the education. It will hopefully be available in two to three weeks. It will be issued by a doctor, and the situation will be monitored on a monthly basis by project coordinators and representatives of HZJZ.

This makes Croatia the 17th European country where naloxone will be used.

Three activists of our member organisation HELP from Split have participated in the education of coordinators for implementation of the pilot project on naloxone home doses.

 

London adopts new approaches to reduce drug-induced deaths

Posted on by Milutin

The London Assembly’s health committee released a new report on 17 March 17 urging Mayor Sadiq Khan to cooperate with the government and police to develop a new strategy to combat drug fatalities in the city. The report argues that drug checking services should be provided in London, including at clubs and music events.

Given the increase in drug-related deaths over the last decade there have been growing calls for the adoption of new approaches focusing on harm-reduction methods. The report states that harm-reduction approaches would “not only benefit those who are using drugs but reduce harm to and the costs for their wider communities.”

The Committee’s investigation focuses on three harm-reduction interventions – drug-checking services, naloxone and drug-consumption rooms – to understand whether these could reduce drug-related deaths in London; the barriers that may be faced in rolling these out; and the solutions to address these barriers. These interventions were chosen because they have an existing evidence base, having been trialled or implemented in other parts of the world or the UK.

Recommendations also include practical advices to authorities:

  • The Government should introduce a national naloxone programme in England
  • Thee Mayor’s Drugs Commission should work with partners and service providers to assess the availability of naloxone in relevant settings in London, as well as the education and training levels of staff; and identify barriers and solutions to ensure adequate and consistent access across the capital.
  • The Mayor should lead a public awareness campaign on naloxone and how it is used to save lives in the event of an overdose.
  • The Mayor should run a campaign with partners to educate Londoners about how to reduce drug harm and deaths.

 

To read report, follow this link>>>.

 

Police roll out Naloxone in Scotland

Posted on by Milutin

From the Scottish Drugs Forum website

Police officers across Scotland will be able to carry and use naloxone and so contribute to The National Mission to Reduce Drug Deaths.

Police officers in local areas in Glasgow, Dundee, Falkirk, Stirling and Caithness had taken part in a pilot in 2021.  That pilot has now been evaluated after naloxone was administered on 51 occasions.  It has now been agreed that there should be a national rollout of the initiative.

Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said: “I know the terrible toll of drugs deaths in Scotland and policing is committed to playing our part in reducing the harm caused to individuals, families and communities.”

During the test of change, 808 officers were trained to use naloxone, and 656 (81 per cent) volunteered to carry the nasal spray kits.

An independent academic review conducted between March and October 2021, during which naloxone was used 51 times, recommended a national roll-out.

Kirsten Horsburgh, Strategy Co-ordinator (drug death prevention) at SDF, welcomed the news:

“Police officers are often first on the scene of a suspected overdose and are well-placed to act quickly and potentially save a life –  the pilot has shown this. It is no surprise that there were 51 administrations of naloxone over the 6 months, which also sadly highlights the scale of the problem. Expanding naloxone carriage by police to cover the whole of Scotland is significant, and an obvious next step. It has been positive to hear frontline police recognising that this is part of key policing duties to preserve life, and be able to intervene effectively.”

Work is under way to secure stock of naloxone and a national programme of training and equipping over 12.000 officers, will be undertaken in the coming months.

 

Drug overdoses in Europe

Posted on by Milutin

Drug overdose deaths in Europe have risen for the fifth consecutive year, with a record 9 461 lives lost in 2017 (EU 28, Turkey and Norway). Reducing drug-related deaths is therefore a major public health challenge. Fighting this problem, the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) launches today three new resources looking at drug overdoses in Europe and the interventions in place to prevent them.

Most overdose deaths in Europe are linked to the use of opioids (heroin or synthetic opioids), although cocaine, other stimulant drugs and medicines also play a role. In a new online resource, Prevention of drug-related deaths in Europe, the agency provides an overview on the issue and the risk factors involved.

Drug-induced deaths in the European Union, Norway and Turkey, 2017

The EMCDDA illustrates how overdose prevention can be addressed on three levels: reducing vulnerability to overdose (e.g. accessible treatment and services); reducing the risk of overdose (e.g. retention in opioid substitution treatment, prison aftercare and overdose risk assessments); and reducing the likelihood of fatal outcomes (e.g. take-home naloxone policies and supervision of drug consumption). Currently, 87 supervised drug consumption facilities exist in 8 EU Member States, Norway and Switzerland providing a safer drug-using environment.

While naloxone – a medicine used to reverse opioid toxicity – has been used in hospitals for over 40 years, it is also now available in the community in many countries. The EMCDDA launched its first overview of Take-home naloxone (THN) programmes in Europe.

Practical solutions have been found to allow non-medical personnel to receive and administer injectable naloxone and enable the distribution of the medication to the homes of potential bystanders. Some countries now make the emergency medication available without a prescription to, or have lifted prescription regulations for, specific establishments or those registered as formally trained. The resource summarises the different products used in THN programmes, including naloxone nasal spray, authorised in 2017 by the European Commission for marketing in all EU countries.

Where have drug-related deaths increased most over the last 10 years? Are women and men affected equally? What are the current concerns in Europe? These are some of the questions answered in new Frequently asked questions (FAQs): drug overdose deaths in Europe published on the EMCDDA website. These present the overdose situation and trends as well as a range of maps and graphics. The EMCDDA monitors closely alerts on harms related to fentanyl and its derivatives due to the very high toxicity of these substances and their potential to result in large clusters of incidents and deaths.

Through its Strategy 2025, the EMCDDA is committed to contributing to a healthier Europe. While opioids are involved in the vast majority of overdose fatalities, other substances (e.g. cocaine, benzodiazepines, synthetic cannabinoids) also contribute to the overdose burden and should not be neglected. The resources contribute to a better understanding of drug overdoses and responses to them in Europe to support sound policymaking in this area.