THE Federal Government has announced an investment of $10 million to undertake a take home naloxone (THN) pilot in New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia.
Launching on 01 Dec, the THN pilot aims to provide people who may be at risk of an opioid overdose, or are likely to witness an overdose, with free and easy access to naloxone, the Health Department has said.
Each participating state will identify where naloxone will be available.
Sites could include community and hospital-based pharmacies, alcohol and drug treatment centres, needle and syringe programs or other agreed non-pharmacy settings.
Naloxone can be injected or delivered through a nasal spray and is currently available in all states and territories with a prescription, or over-the-counter from a pharmacy for a fee.
The THN pilot will be delivered in conjunction with the various THN programs currently operating in the participating states and provides a great opportunity to increase access to naloxone for people at risk, authorities said.
Dispensing doctors and hospital pharmacists in NSW, SA and WA can take part in the pilot from mid-January 2020.
Visit health.gov.au for more.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 26 Nov 19
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 26 Nov 19