The abuse of painkillers, namely opioids, has been on the rise in recent years. Now, though, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Evzio, a naloxone autoinjector, which may just help officials battle the increasing tide of overdoses in the United States.
More than 16,000 people die each year from prescription opioid overdose in the United States, according to Reuters. In fact, these overdoses are now the leading cause of injury death in the United States, surpassing motor vehicle crashes. While these overdoses are mostly tied to those addicted to painkillers and heroin, they can also happen when patients accidentally overdose when they're legitimately trying to treat pain. That's why Evzio has become such an important tool.
Evzio injects naloxone, which is a substance that can essentially reverse the detrimental effects of opioids. This can potentially save a person who has overdosed. The new tool provides officials with an important tool to help keep patients alive.
"The FDA will continue to work to reduce the risks of abuse and misuse of prescription opioids, but we cannot solve this complex problem alone," stated the FDA in a news release. "A comprehensive and coordinated approach is needed ; one that includes the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Drug Enforcement Administration and many of our sister agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as state and local governments, public health experts, health care professionals, addiction experts, researchers, industry and patient organizations."
The approval of the device is a step forward when it comes to preventing deaths from opioid overdoses. Yet much more will have to be done in order to curb the number of deaths due to these overdoses in the future.
"Making this product available could save lives by facilitating earlier use of the drug in emergency situations," said Bob Rappaport, head of the FDA division that reviews products, in an interview with Reuters.
