[Interest of take-home naloxone for opioid overdose]

Abstract

Over the course of these last decades, we observed a change on opioid use with the marketing of opiate maintenance treatment, an increase of opioids used for pain management and recent concerns have arisen around the use of synthetic opioid. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports around 70,000 people opioid overdose death each year. In France, according to the DRAMES program (fatalities in relation with abuse of licit or illicit drugs) of the French addictovigilance network, most of deaths are related to opioids overdose (especially methadone, following by heroin, buprenorphine and opioid used for pain management). Opioid overdose is treatable with naloxone, an opioid antagonist which rapidly reverses the effects of opioids. In recent years, a number of programs around the world have shown that it is feasible to provide naloxone to people likely to witness an opioid overdose. In 2014, the WHO published recommendations for this provision and the need to train users and their entourage in the management of opioid overdose. In this context, in July 2016, French drug agency has granted a temporary authorization for use of a naloxone nasal spray Nalscue^®. Because different opioids can be used and because each opioid has specific characteristics (pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, galenic form…), the risk of overdose may differ from one opioid to another and it may be necessary, depending on the clinical context, to use larger and repeated doses of naloxone.

Keywords: Addictovigilance; Deaths; Décès; Naloxone; Opioid; Opioïdes; Overdose; Surdosage.