opioids
Expanding
access to
naloxone
Policy revision permits MDs
to prescribe drug for inclusion
in overdose emergency kits
While opioid overdose is now the third leading
cause of accidental death in Ontario, this risk
of death can be significantly reduced through
the timely administration of the prescription
drug naloxone. Naloxone can reverse the lifethreatening effects of an opioid overdose, and is
currently available only by prescription.
In order to eliminate barriers to access, the College
has revised the Prescribing Drugs policy to
permit physicians to prescribe naloxone outside of
a physician-patient relationship for distribution in
opioid overdose emergency kits. The College also
released an organizational statement expressing
support for efforts to increase the availability of
naloxone as part of the emergency treatment of
opioid overdose.
20
Dialogue Issue 1, 2016
“Given the strong public health interest, and
naloxone’s favourable risk-benefit ratio, we
believed that we had a responsibility to specifically
permit physicians to prescribe naloxone for opioid
overdose emergency kits,” said Dr. Joel Kirsh,
College President.
Physicians who choose to prescribe naloxone for
emergency kits must be satisfied that measures
will be in place to identify and replace expired
medication, and that kits will only be distributed to
those individuals who have received appropriate
instruction in its use. This instruction must
emphasize that even where naloxone has been
administered successfully, emergency medical
care must still be sought. This advice must also
be communicated in the written instructions
contained in the kit.
Health Canada is currently undertaking a formal
consultation to re-evaluate the prescription-only
status of naloxone. Should Health Canada allow
naloxone to be distributed without a prescription,
the policy revisions would be rescinded.
photo: Courtesy of Toronto Public Health
The College has taken action to address the rising
prevalence of opioid overdose in Ontario by
permitting physicians to prescribe naloxone for
inclusion in emergency overdose opioid kits.