ISSUE1444
A recent Medical Letter article reported renewed interest in the intranasal administration (off-label) of the opioid antagonist naloxone because of an increase in deaths from opioid overdose in the US.1 Now the FDA has approved a more practical alternative for emergency treatment of life-threatening opioid overdose in adults and children: a single-dose naloxone auto-injector (Evzio – Kaleo) for intramuscular or subcutaneous use.
Evzio will be available in kits containing two prefilled 0.4-mg auto-injectors with voice guidance and a "trainer" device that also has voice guidance, but does not contain medication or a needle. The manufacturer has not published a price for Evzio to date, but news reports indicate that each kit could cost hundreds of dollars, compared to about $20 for a standard 0.4-mg injectable dose of naloxone, which can be given intranasally.
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