Naloxone programme aims to reduce drug overdose deaths
Heroin users in Tayside are to be provided with a new life-saving drug designed to give them extra time to get medical treatment if they overdose.
- By Graham Huband
- Published in the Courier : 19.08.10
- Published online : 19.08.10 @ 05.43pm
The Scottish Government has earmarked £500,000 over two years for the provision of Naloxone, a drug that counters the effects of opioid overdose. The hope is that heroin users suffering the symptoms of an overdose can use the drug to temporarily ward off its effects while medical help is sought.
The move comes after the General Register Office for Scotland released figures this week showing that 545 Scots died from drug abuse last year.
Dundee saw 30 deaths, Fife had 32, Angus had nine drugs-related fatalities and Perth and Kinross had five — the only Tayside local authority to register a fall in such deaths last year.
The national Naloxone programme was announced by community safety minister Fergus Ewing, who said the drug has the potential to prevent further tragedies.
The government agreed to the roll-out following a specific recommendation from the National Forum on Drug Related Deaths. The cost of each Naloxone kit handed out by health authorities across Scotland will be reimbursed.
Mr Ewing said, "Naloxone has the potential to save lives. That is why I want to see it available as widely as possible to those at greatest risk of overdose.
"Naloxone isn't the solution to drug-related deaths but it is an important intervention. It has role to play within a wider range of treatment and support in reducing harm and supporting recovery."
Among the groups being targeted by the scheme are prisoners whose tolerance to drugs like heroin drop while in prison and are particularly vulnerable to the toxic effects of the drug when they re-use after being released.
Biba Brand of the Scottish Drugs Forum said, "We welcome the investment in a national Naloxone programme for Scotland because it has the potential to play an important role in saving lives.
"It has been used in clinical settings as an emergency treatment for opiate overdose for 40 years. In the USA and Europe take-home Naloxone programmes have been linked with reductions in drug deaths of up to 34%.
"If people are to have a chance of recovering from a heroin problem, and we are to stop the damage caused to families and communities through these deaths, the first priority is helping people to stay alive. This programme aims to do that."
A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said the health authority was in discussions with the Scottish Government about exactly when the roll-out of Naloxone would begin.
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