Studies of Naloxone Are Ongoing
Naloxone is a safe drug with minimal toxicity and is not a controlled substance, noted Dr. Coffin. Naloxone is available in a vial for injection, as an intranasal formulation given off-label, and as an autoinjector specifically designed for administration by nonphysicians that was recently approved by the FDA. Two additional intranasal formulations are being developed.
Randomized, feasibility, and qualitative studies of the naloxone approach are under way. The need to obtain data on the effect of take-home naloxone on events such as opioid analgesic overdoses and on behavior is crucial, concluded Dr. Coffin.
—Elizabeth Mechcatie