FDA Approves Evzio Brand Naloxone Pen In April 2014
The recent approval of a Naloxone (also known by the prescription name Narcan) pen for automatic injection by caregivers represents a significant opportunity to prevent accidental overdoses for people who may have opioid prescriptions or who may be drug abusers. Evzio is the brand name of the pen, and it is manufactured by kaleo Pharma.
Naloxone Pen use is expected to happen in overdose stages where the victim is approaching an unresponsive state or is already in one. It must be noted that a person can be too far gone for the drug to work at all. For the prevention of opioid fatalities, naloxone (commonly called Narcan) is generally recognized.
The two most common drug overdose problems that would be addressed by the new auto-injector would be an OD of heroin or drugs including Vicodin, Percodan, Oxycodin, or Oxycodone. The FDA's quick approval of the pen may have to do with high profile deaths. In the year 2010, over 15,000 people died from such overdoses, and notable passings like Cory Monteith and Philip Seymour Hoffman were cited in the media as a reason for the pen's approval. There may also be cases where high dose prescriptions carry a degree of danger, and even in hospital environments there is usually naloxene readily present around intravenous morphine devices.
Limited Supplies
Over the past few years a shortage of naloxone has been noted due to manufacturing delays and the popularity of the drug in the cases of an overabundance of prescription painkillers. Price increases for the drug have been seen as a function of increased demand.
Controversy Surrounding Approval
Some in law enforcement and the treatment community fear that the Naloxone Pen will lead to more drug use, based on the theory that safety devices make people behave more dangerously. As an example they point to T-Shirts that already promote bringing injectable Naloxone to parties where such drug abuse may occur. On the other end of the spectrum, parents and family members of known addicts currently can only call for an ambulance when their relatives are unresponsive, and the time delay may cause needless deaths. Despite all the debate there is at least agreement that the new pen works, and that it should be accessible to law enforcement and first responders who have a chance to intervene in the event of contact with an abuser who may have overdosed, or who chose low-grade balloons for his French Connection trip into the country.