Association Between State Laws Facilitating Pharmacy Distribution of Naloxone and Risk of Fatal Overdose.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Given high rates of opioid-related fatal overdoses, improving naloxone access has become a priority. States have implemented different types of naloxone access laws (NALs) and there is controversy over which of these policies, if any, can curb overdose deaths. We hypothesize that NALs granting direct authority to pharmacists to provide naloxone will have the greatest potential for reducing fatal overdoses.

Objectives

To identify which types of NALs, if any, are associated with reductions in fatal overdoses involving opioids and examine possible implications for nonfatal overdoses.

Design, setting, and participants

State-level changes in both fatal and nonfatal overdoses from 2005 to 2016 were examined across the 50 states and the District of Columbia after

SUBMITTER: Abouk R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6503576 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature