Editing Naloxone (section)

==Society and culture==

===Misinformation===

Naloxone has been subject to much inaccurate media reporting and many [[urban legend]]s about it have become prevalent.<ref name=legends>{{cite journal |vauthors=Crabtree A, Masuda JR |title=Naloxone urban legends and the opioid crisis: what is the role of public health? |journal=BMC Public Health |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=670 |date=May 2019 |pmid=31146721 |pmc=6543555 |doi=10.1186/s12889-019-7033-5 |url= |doi-access=free }}</ref>

One such myth is that naloxone makes the recipient violent.<ref name=debunked>{{cite web |publisher=Indiana State Department of Health |url=https://www.in.gov/health/overdose-prevention/files/47_naloxone-myths-debunked.pdf |type=pdf |title=Naloxone myths debunked |accessdate=7 September 2023}}</ref> Another is that events called "Lazarus parties" have taken place, in which people reportedly took fatal overdoses in anticipation of being treated with naloxone; in reality this was a fiction spread by the police.<ref name=legends/> Yet another is the claim that people have indulged in "yo-yoing", whereby they would take naloxone and opioids simultaneously to enjoy an extreme "high" and subsequent revival; the idea is scientifically nonsensical.<ref name=legends/>

===Names===
Naloxone is its [[international nonproprietary name]], [[British Approved Name]], [[Dénomination Commune Française]], [[Denominazione Comune Italiana]], and [[Japanese Accepted Name]], while naloxone hydrochloride is its [[United States Adopted Name]] and [[British Approved Name|British Approved Name (Modified)]].<ref name="Elks2014">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0vXTBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA851|title=The Dictionary of Drugs: Chemical Data: Chemical Data, Structures and Bibliographies|vauthors=Elks J|date=14 November 2014|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-4757-2085-3|pages=851–|access-date=20 November 2017|archive-date=13 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113020759/https://books.google.com/books?id=0vXTBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA851|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="IndexNominum2000">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5GpcTQD_L2oC&pg=PA715|title=Index Nominum 2000: International Drug Directory|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2000|isbn=978-3-88763-075-1|pages=715–|access-date=20 November 2017|archive-date=13 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113020800/https://books.google.com/books?id=5GpcTQD_L2oC&pg=PA715|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="MortonHall2012">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tsjrCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA189|title=Concise Dictionary of Pharmacological Agents: Properties and Synonyms| vauthors = Morton IK, Hall JM |date=6 December 2012|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-94-011-4439-1|pages=189–}}</ref><ref name="Drugs.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.drugs.com/international/naloxone.html|title=Naloxone|access-date=20 November 2017|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201044530/https://www.drugs.com/international/naloxone.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[patent]] has expired and it is available as a [[generic drug|generic medication]]. Several formulations use patented dispensers (spray mechanisms or autoinjectors), and patent disputes over the generic forms of the nasal spray were litigated between 2016 and 2020 when a judge ruled in favor of Teva, the generic manufacturer.<ref>{{cite web|title=Teva Invalidates Opiant Patents In Narcan Suit - Law360|url=https://www.law360.com/articles/1280639/teva-invalidates-opiant-patents-in-narcan-suit|access-date=5 January 2022|website=www.law360.com|archive-date=7 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107035328/https://www.law360.com/articles/1280639/teva-invalidates-opiant-patents-in-narcan-suit|url-status=live}}</ref> Teva announced entry of the first generic nasal spray formulation in December 2021.<ref name="Teva Pharmaceuticals_2021">{{cite press release | title=Teva Announces Launch of First-to-Market Generic Version of Narcan (Naloxone Hydrochloride Nasal Spray), in the U.S. | publisher=Teva Pharmaceuticals | via=Business Wire | date=22 December 2021 | url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211222005564/en/ | access-date=2 August 2023}}</ref> Brand names of naloxone include Narcan, Kloxxado, Nalone, Evzio, Prenoxad Injection, Narcanti, Narcotan, and Zimhi, among others.

===Legal status and availability to law enforcement and emergency personnel===
{{Globalize|date=September 2022|2=US|3=Canada|talk=Talk:Naloxone#North-America-centric_legal_status_section|section}}
Naloxone (Nyxoid) was approved for use in the European Union in September 2017.<ref name="Nyxoid EPAR">{{cite web | title=Nyxoid EPAR | website=[[European Medicines Agency]] (EMA) | date=17 September 2018 | url=https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/nyxoid | access-date=12 May 2020 | archive-date=5 April 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200405084842/https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/nyxoid | url-status=live }}</ref>

In the United States, some nasal naloxone are legally available without a prescription.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/wyoming-s-albertsons-safeway-pharmacies-to-offer-narcan-over-the/article_ca4b259c-08ae-11e8-9f50-17a75174a10d.html|title=Wyoming's Albertsons, Safeway pharmacies to offer Narcan over the counter|vauthors=Suttles C|work=Wyoming Tribune Eagle|access-date=19 September 2018|archive-date=3 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203160745/https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/wyoming-s-albertsons-safeway-pharmacies-to-offer-narcan-over-the/article_ca4b259c-08ae-11e8-9f50-17a75174a10d.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | vauthors = Kekatos M |date=May 15, 2024 |title=Walgreens announces it will sell generic version of over-the-counter Narcan |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Health/walgreens-announces-sell-generic-version-counter-narcan/story?id=110258916 |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=ABC News }}</ref>

As of 2019, officials in 29 states had issued standing orders to enable licensed pharmacists to provide naloxone to patients without the individual first visiting a prescriber.<ref name="Network for Public Health Law">{{cite web|title=Addressing Opioid Overdose through Statewide Standing Orders for Naloxone Distribution|url=https://www.networkforphl.org/news-insights/addressing-opioid-overdose-through-statewide-standing-orders-for-naloxone-distribution/|access-date=5 January 2022|website=Network for Public Health Law|archive-date=6 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106000240/https://www.networkforphl.org/news-insights/addressing-opioid-overdose-through-statewide-standing-orders-for-naloxone-distribution/|url-status=live}}</ref> Prescribers working with harm reduction or low threshold treatment programs have also issued standing orders to enable these organizations to distribute naloxone to their clients.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Wheeler E, Jones TS, Gilbert MK, Davidson PJ | title = Opioid Overdose Prevention Programs Providing Naloxone to Laypersons - United States, 2014 | journal = MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report | volume = 64 | issue = 23 | pages = 631–635 | date = June 2015 | pmid = 26086633 | pmc = 4584734 }}</ref> A standing order, also referred to as a "non-patient specific prescription" is written by a physician, nurse or other prescriber to authorize medicine distribution outside the doctor-patient relationship.<ref>{{cite web |title=Guide: Treating Heroin and Opioid Use Disorder |url=https://www.pa.gov/guides/opioid-epidemic/ |access-date=1 October 2020 |publisher=PA.Gov |archive-date=1 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001131912/https://www.pa.gov/guides/opioid-epidemic/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the case of naloxone, these orders are meant to facilitate naloxone distribution to people using opioids, and their family members and friends.<ref name="Network for Public Health Law" /> Over 200 naloxone distribution programs utilize licensed prescribers to distribute the drug through such orders, or through the authority of pharmacists (as with California's legal provision, [[AB1535]]).<ref name="Beletsky 2009">{{cite report |title=Closing Death's Door: Action Steps to Facilitate Emergency Opioid Drug Overdose Reversal in the United States |year=2009 |url=https://medicine.wright.edu/sites/medicine.wright.edu/files/page/attachments/Naloxonewhitepaper09.pdf |publisher=[[Boonshoft School of Medicine]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127043207/https://medicine.wright.edu/sites/medicine.wright.edu/files/page/attachments/Naloxonewhitepaper09.pdf |archive-date=27 January 2023 |ssrn=1437163 |vauthors=Beletsky L, Burris SC, Kral AH|doi=10.2139/ssrn.1437163 }}</ref><ref>{{cite SSRN|title=Stopping an Invisible Epidemic: Legal Issues in the Provision of Naloxone to Prevent Opioid Overdose|year=2009 |ssrn=1434381|vauthors=Burris SC, Beletsky L, Castagna CA, Coyle C, Crowe C, McLaughlin JM}}</ref>

Laws and policies in many US jurisdictions have been changed to allow wider distribution of naloxone.<ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Davis C|title=Legal interventions to reduce overdose mortality: Naloxone access and overdose good samaritan laws|url=https://www.networkforphl.org/_asset/qz5pvn/network-naloxone-10-4.pdf|url-status=live|journal=Network for Public Health Law|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903114828/https://www.networkforphl.org/_asset/qz5pvn/network-naloxone-10-4.pdf|archive-date=3 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Davis C, Webb D, Burris S | title = Changing law from barrier to facilitator of opioid overdose prevention | journal = The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics | volume = 41 | issue = Suppl 1 | pages = 33–36 | date = March 2013 | pmid = 23590737 | doi = 10.1111/jlme.12035 | s2cid = 22127036 }}</ref> In addition to laws or regulations permitting distribution of medicine to at-risk individuals and families, some 36 states have passed laws that provide naloxone prescribers with immunity against both civil and criminal liabilities.<ref>{{cite web | vauthors = Cutcliff A, Stringberg A, Atkins C |title=As Naloxone Accessibility Increases, Pharmacist's Role Expands|url=https://www.pharmacytimes.com/contributor/marilyn-bulloch-pharmd-bcps/2016/10/as-naloxone-accessibility-increases-pharmacists-role-expands|access-date=31 October 2019|website=Pharmacy Times|archive-date=31 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031180459/https://www.pharmacytimes.com/contributor/marilyn-bulloch-pharmd-bcps/2016/10/as-naloxone-accessibility-increases-pharmacists-role-expands|url-status=dead}}</ref> While paramedics in the US have carried naloxone for decades, law enforcement officers in many states throughout the country carry naloxone to reverse the effects of heroin overdoses when reaching the location before paramedics. As of 12 July 2015, law enforcement departments in 28 US states are allowed to or required to carry naloxone to quickly respond to opioid overdoses.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nchrc.org/law-enforcement/us-law-enforcement-who-carry-naloxone/ |title=US Law Enforcement Who Carry Naloxone |website=North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition |access-date=12 July 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713032125/http://www.nchrc.org/law-enforcement/us-law-enforcement-who-carry-naloxone/ |archive-date=13 July 2015 }}</ref> Programs training fire personnel in opioid overdose response using naloxone have also shown promise in the US, and efforts to integrate opioid fatality prevention into emergency response have grown due to the [[Opioid epidemic in the United States|US overdose crisis]].<ref name="Beletsky_2012">{{cite journal | vauthors = Beletsky L, Rich JD, Walley AY | title = Prevention of fatal opioid overdose | journal = JAMA | volume = 308 | issue = 18 | pages = 1863–1864 | date = November 2012 | pmid = 23150005 | pmc = 3551246 | doi = 10.1001/jama.2012.14205 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| vauthors = Lavoie D|date=April 2012|title=Naloxone: Drug-Overdose Antidote Is Put In Addicts' Hands|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/26/naloxone-drug-overdose-antidote_n_1456531.html|url-status=live|journal=Huffington Post|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518161613/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/26/naloxone-drug-overdose-antidote_n_1456531.html|archive-date=18 May 2012}}</ref><ref name="pmid19602236">{{cite journal | vauthors = Davis CS, Beletsky L | title = Bundling occupational safety with harm reduction information as a feasible method for improving police receptiveness to syringe access programs: evidence from three U.S. cities | journal = Harm Reduction Journal | volume = 6 | issue = 1 | pages = 16 | date = July 2009 | pmid = 19602236 | pmc = 2716314 | doi = 10.1186/1477-7517-6-16 | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref>{{cite report |year=2013|title=2013 National drug control strategy|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov//sites/default/files/ondcp/policy-and-research/ndcs_2013.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170121100239/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/ondcp/policy-and-research/ndcs_2013.pdf|archive-date=21 January 2017|publisher=[[Office of National Drug Control Policy]] }}</ref>

Following the use of the nasal spray device by police officers on Staten Island in New York, an additional 20,000 police officers will begin carrying naloxone in mid-2014. The state's Office of the Attorney General will provide US$1.2 million to supply nearly 20,000 kits. Police Commissioner [[William Bratton]] said: "Naloxone gives individuals a second chance to get help".<ref>{{cite news| vauthors = Durando J |date=27 May 2014|title=NYPD officers to carry heroin antidote|newspaper=USA Today|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/05/27/new-york-police-department-naloxone/9630299/|url-status=live|access-date=30 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703123154/http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/05/27/new-york-police-department-naloxone/9630299/|archive-date=3 July 2014}}</ref> [[Emergency medical services in the United Kingdom|Emergency Medical Service]] Providers (EMS) routinely administer naloxone, except where basic Emergency Medical Technicians are prohibited by policy or by state law.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Faul M, Dailey MW, Sugerman DE, Sasser SM, Levy B, Paulozzi LJ | title = Disparity in naloxone administration by emergency medical service providers and the burden of drug overdose in US rural communities | journal = American Journal of Public Health | volume = 105 | issue = Suppl 3 | pages = e26–e32 | date = July 2015 | pmid = 25905856 | pmc = 4455515 | doi = 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302520 }}</ref> In efforts to encourage citizens to seek help for possible opioid overdoses, many states have adopted Good Samaritan laws that provide immunity against certain criminal liabilities for anybody who, in good faith, seeks emergency medical care for either themselves or someone around them who may be experiencing an opioid overdose.<ref>{{cite web|title=Drug Overdose Immunity and Good Samaritan Laws|url=http://www.ncsl.org/research/civil-and-criminal-justice/drug-overdose-immunity-good-samaritan-laws.aspx|access-date=31 October 2019|website=www.ncsl.org|archive-date=13 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913233059/http://www.ncsl.org/research/civil-and-criminal-justice/drug-overdose-immunity-good-samaritan-laws.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

States including Vermont and Virginia have developed programs that mandate the prescription of naloxone when a prescription has exceeded a certain level of morphine [[Equivalent (chemistry)|milliequivalents]] per day as preventative measures against overdose.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Jones CM, Compton W, Vythilingam M, Giroir B | title = Naloxone Co-prescribing to Patients Receiving Prescription Opioids in the Medicare Part D Program, United States, 2016-2017 | journal = JAMA | volume = 322 | issue = 5 | pages = 462–464 | date = August 2019 | pmid = 31386124 | pmc = 6686765 | doi = 10.1001/jama.2019.7988 }}</ref> Healthcare institution-based naloxone prescription programs have also helped reduce rates of opioid overdose in [[North Carolina]], and have been replicated in the US military.<ref name="Beletsky 2009" /><ref name="pmid21668761">{{cite journal | vauthors = Albert S, Brason FW, Sanford CK, Dasgupta N, Graham J, Lovette B | title = Project Lazarus: community-based overdose prevention in rural North Carolina | journal = Pain Medicine | volume = 12 | issue = Suppl 2 | pages = S77–S85 | date = June 2011 | pmid = 21668761 | doi = 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2011.01128.x | doi-access = free | title-link = doi }}</ref>

In Canada, naloxone single-use syringe kits are distributed and available at various clinics and emergency rooms. [[Alberta Health Services]] is increasing the distribution points for naloxone kits at all emergency rooms, and various pharmacies and clinics province-wide. All [[Edmonton Police Service]] and [[Calgary Police Service]] patrol cars carry an emergency single-use naloxone syringe kit. Some [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] patrol vehicles also carry the drug, occasionally in excess to help distribute naloxone among users and concerned family/friends. Nurses, paramedics, medical technicians, and emergency medical responders can also prescribe and distribute the drug. As of February 2016, pharmacies across [[Alberta]] and some other Canadian jurisdictions are allowed to distribute single-use take-home naloxone kits or prescribe the drug to people using opioids.<ref name="cbc.ca" />

Following Alberta Health Services, [[Health Canada]] reviewed the prescription-only status of naloxone, resulting in plans to remove it in 2016, making naloxone more accessible.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/naloxone-s-prescription-only-status-to-get-health-canada-review-1.3166867 |title=Naloxone's prescription-only status to get Health Canada review |website=CBC News |access-date=5 February 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205205030/https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/naloxone-s-prescription-only-status-to-get-health-canada-review-1.3166867 |archive-date=5 February 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.health.alberta.ca/health-info/AMH-Naloxone-Take-home.html |title=Fentanyl and the take-home naloxone program Alberta Health |access-date=5 February 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205142858/http://www.health.alberta.ca/health-info/AMH-Naloxone-Take-home.html |archive-date=5 February 2016 }}</ref> Due to the rising number of drug deaths across the country, Health Canada proposed a change to make naloxone more widely available to Canadians in support of efforts to address the growing number of opioid overdoses.<ref>{{cite press release | title=Health Canada Statement on Change in Federal Prescription Status of Naloxone | publisher=[[Health Canada]] | date=14 January 2016 | url=https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2016/01/health-canada-statement-on-change-in-federal-prescription-status-of-naloxone.html | access-date=6 October 2024}}</ref> In March 2016, Health Canada did change the prescription status of naloxone, as "pharmacies are now able to proactively give out naloxone to those who might experience or witness an opioid overdose."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/prodpharma/pdl-ord/pdl-ldo-qa-naloxone-qr-eng.php |title=Questions and Answers - Naloxone |website=[[Health Canada]] |date=22 March 2017 |access-date=12 June 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908140357/http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/prodpharma/pdl-ord/pdl-ldo-qa-naloxone-qr-eng.php |archive-date=8 September 2017 }}</ref>

===Community access===
[[File:Mendocino Pride 2023 - Sarah Stierch - 12.jpg|thumb|Free Narcan and test strips at a community event in [[Hopland, California]].]]In a survey of US laypersons in December 2021, most people believed the scientifically supported idea that trained bystanders can reverse overdoses with naloxone.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Agley J, Xiao Y, Eldridge L, Meyerson B, Golzarri-Arroyo L | title = Beliefs and misperceptions about naloxone and overdose among U.S. laypersons: a cross-sectional study | journal = BMC Public Health | volume = 22 | issue = 1 | pages = 924 | date = May 2022 | pmid = 35538566 | pmc = 9086153 | doi = 10.1186/s12889-022-13298-3 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

A survey of US naloxone prescription programs in 2010 revealed that 21 out of 48 programs reported challenges in obtaining naloxone in the months leading up to the survey, due mainly to either cost increases that outstripped allocated funding or the suppliers' inability to fill orders.<ref name="cdc.gov" /> The approximate cost of a 1{{nbsp}}ml ampoule of naloxone in the US is estimated to be significantly higher than in most other countries.<ref name="Beletsky 2009" />

[[Take-home naloxone program]]s for people who use opioids are underway in many North American cities.<ref name="cdc.gov">{{cite journal | title = Community-based opioid overdose prevention programs providing naloxone - United States, 2010 | journal = MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report | volume = 61 | issue = 6 | pages = 101–105 | date = February 2012 | pmid = 22337174 | pmc = 4378715 | url = https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6106a1.htm | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120426204807/http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6106a1.htm | archive-date = 26 April 2012 | author1 = Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/09/09/toronto_naloxone_program_reduces_drug_overdoses_among_addicts.html |title=Toronto naloxone program reduces drug overdoses among addicts |newspaper=The Toronto Star |date=9 September 2012 | vauthors = Donkin K |access-date=5 May 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205045540/http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/09/09/toronto_naloxone_program_reduces_drug_overdoses_among_addicts.html |archive-date=5 December 2014 }}</ref> CDC estimates that the US programs for drug users and their caregivers prescribing take-home doses of naloxone and training on its use prevented 10,000 opioid overdose deaths by 2014.<ref name="cdc.gov" />

In Australia, some forms of naloxone are available "over the counter" in pharmacies free without a prescription under the Take Home Naloxone programme.<ref name="doi 10.5694/mja15.01181">{{cite journal | vauthors = Lenton SR, Dietze PM, Jauncey M | title = Australia reschedules naloxone for opioid overdose | journal = The Medical Journal of Australia | volume = 204 | issue = 4 | pages = 146–147 | date = March 2016 | pmid = 26937664 | doi = 10.5694/mja15.01181 | url = https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2016/204/4/australia-reschedules-naloxone-opioid-overdose | access-date = 19 July 2020 | s2cid = 9320372 | archive-date = 19 July 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200719232637/https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2016/204/4/australia-reschedules-naloxone-opioid-overdose | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| vauthors = Davey M |date=29 January 2016|title=Selling opioid overdose antidote Naloxone over counter 'will save lives'|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jan/29/selling-opioid-overdose-antidote-naloxone-over-counter-will-save-lives|url-status=live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161203055245/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jan/29/selling-opioid-overdose-antidote-naloxone-over-counter-will-save-lives|archive-date=3 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=1 February 2016|title=Why the 'heroin antidote' naloxone is now available in pharmacies|url=http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/how-painkiller-use-becomes-a-heroin-addiction/7129964|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204040604/http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/how-painkiller-use-becomes-a-heroin-addiction/7129964|archive-date=4 February 2016|access-date=1 February 2016|work=ABC}}</ref> It comes in single-use filled syringe form similar to law enforcement kits as well as nasal sprays. In 2024, those with a prescription can purchase five doses for around AU$32 or just over AU$6 per dose.<ref>{{cite web|vauthors=Coulter E|date=27 August 2019|title=This drug can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose. So why aren't people using it?|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-27/naloxone-can-stop-an-overdose-why-arent-people-using-it/11448540|access-date=28 August 2019|website=ABC News|archive-date=27 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827192233/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-27/naloxone-can-stop-an-overdose-why-arent-people-using-it/11448540|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | work = Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme |title=PBS.gov.au {{!}} Naloxone |url=https://m.pbs.gov.au/search.html?term=NALOXONE&analyse=false |access-date=2024-10-30 | publisher = Government of Australia }}</ref>

In Alberta, in addition to pharmacy distribution, take-home naloxone kits are available and distributed in most drug treatment or rehabilitation centers.<ref name="cbc.ca">{{cite web | title=Naloxone kits now available at drug stores as province battles fentanyl crisis | website=CBC News | date=17 February 2016 | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/naloxone-kits-fentanyl-overdose-province-1.3451860 | access-date=9 March 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304141621/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/naloxone-kits-fentanyl-overdose-province-1.3451860 |archive-date=4 March 2016 | url-status = live }}</ref>

In the European Union, take home naloxone pilots were launched in the Channel Islands and in Berlin in the late 1990s.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Dettmer K, Saunders B, Strang J | title = Take home naloxone and the prevention of deaths from opiate overdose: two pilot schemes | journal = BMJ | volume = 322 | issue = 7291 | pages = 895–896 | date = April 2001 | pmid = 11302902 | doi = 10.1136/bmj.322.7291.895 | pmc = 30585 }}</ref> In 2008, the Welsh Assembly government announced its intention to establish demonstration sites for take-home naloxone,<ref>{{cite web|title=IHRA 21st International Conference Liverpool, 26th April 2010 - Introducing 'take home' Naloxone in Wales|url=http://www.ihra.net/files/2010/08/26/Danny_Morris.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720062721/http://www.ihra.net/files/2010/08/26/Danny_Morris.pdf|archive-date=20 July 2011|access-date=9 March 2011}}</ref> and in 2010, Scotland instituted a national naloxone program.<ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=McAuley A, Best D, Taylor A, Hunter C, Robertson R|date=1 August 2012|title=From evidence to policy: The Scottish national naloxone programme|url=https://doi.org/10.3109/09687637.2012.682232|journal=Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy|volume=19|issue=4|pages=309–319|doi=10.3109/09687637.2012.682232|s2cid=73263293|issn=0968-7637|access-date=6 January 2022|archive-date=9 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309063059/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/09687637.2012.682232?cookieSet=1|url-status=live}}</ref> Inspired by North American and European efforts, non-governmental organizations running programs to train drug users as overdose responders and supply them with naloxone are now operational in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, China, Vietnam, and Thailand.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/publications/stopping-overdose|title=Stopping Overdose|publisher=Open Society Foundations|access-date=6 January 2022|archive-date=7 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107035410/https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/publications/stopping-overdose|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2018, a maker{{Which|date=January 2025}} of naloxone announced it would provide a free kit including two doses of the nasal spray, as well as educational materials, to each of the 16,568 public libraries and 2,700 YMCAs in the U.S.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Every U.S. Public Library and YMCA Will Soon Get Narcan for Free |url=https://time.com/5432950/narcan-libraries-ymca/ |magazine=Time |access-date=2 April 2019 |archive-date=1 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401224345/http://time.com/5432950/narcan-libraries-ymca/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2025, an American start-up released a keychain case to make naloxone more immediately accessible in emergencies.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wyman |first=Hannah |date=2025-05-16 |title=Narcan can stop an opioid overdose. A St. Louis couple put it on an easy-to-carry keychain. |url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/business/article_9715482a-c301-46e9-837c-c8f42b8811fc.html |access-date=2025-05-16 |website=STLtoday.com |language=en}}</ref>