Family members and other caregivers are now able to administer potentially life-saving medication to sufferers of opioid overdoses, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) giving the green light to a naloxone device.
Called Evzio, the device is available by prescription, and distributes a pre-measured single dose of nalaxone into the muscle via an automated shot. It's intended to prevent deaths associated with opioid abuse, which is on the rise in America. The opioid class includes drugs such as Oxycontin, Percocet and Vicodin, all of which contribute to thousands of deaths annually. "Tragically, the most recent data shows that more than 16,000 lives are lost each year due to opioid-related overdoses," said FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in a statement. "In fact, drug overdose deaths, driven largely by prescription drug overdose deaths, are now the leading cause of injury death in the United States -- surpassing motor vehicle crashes."
"Evzio is the first combination drug-device product designed to deliver a dose of naloxone for administration outside of a health care setting," said Dr. Bob Rappaport, the FDA's director of anesthesia, analgesia and addiction products at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "Making this product available could save lives by facilitating earlier use of the drug in emergency situations."
Indeed, naloxone treatments have, to date, been the domain of trained medical professionals, and are delivered via injections, rather than auto-distribution of Evzio. As such, Evzio is intended to buy overdose victims more time before arriving at an emergency room, with the naxolone acting fast to reverse the effects of the opioid.
Evzio also comes with a training device, allowing relatives and caregivers to practice in the event that naxolone needs to be administered. One shot of Evzio is equivalent to a standard syringe measure of naxolone, and may send overdose victims into opioid withdrawal. Symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, seizures, sweating and a rapidly higher heart rate, as well as an increased risk of cardiac arrest and jumps in blood pressure.
