An October 27, 2014, article published on the news site,
ScienceDaily, reported that researchers
from The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have developed a
naloxone nasal spray formulation to treat heroin overdoses. According to the researchers, the naloxone
nasal spray will save lives by providing a more user friendly alternative than
the currently available injectable naloxone formulation (
Nasal spray treats heroin overdose).
In 2015, researchers plan to conduct a blind study of the
nasal spray in approximately 260 heroin overdoses. In the blind study, paramedics will be
equipped with a package that contains a nasal spray and an injection. Both the nasal spray and the injection will be used to treat each overdose case. Only one
of these formulations will contain naloxone, which will provide researchers
with objective criteria to assess which method -- nasal spray or injection -- is
more effective.
The study’s protocol requires that the paramedics begin by
assisting with the patient’s breathing. Once this occurs, paramedics will
administer both the nasal spray and the injection on the presumed overdosed
patient followed by the start of a timer. The paramedics are then tasked to
record the amount of time it takes for patients to breathe without assistance, when
patients begin to open their eyes, and lastly when patients begin to move.
Dr.
Arne Skulberg, an anesthesiologist and PhD candidate at NTNU, commented that in Norway, more people die annually of drug overdoses than traffic accidents. He suggested that expanding naloxone delivery options to patients with life-threatening overdoses of heroin and other opiates would save lives.
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