To name just a few (mostly U.S.) developments ...
- The UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs endorsed take-home naloxone.
- The American Medical Association endorsed take-home naloxone, thanks to the efforts of a group of medical students.
- The US Food and Drug Administration convened a major meeting on take-home naloxone.
- The US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is including take-home naloxone guidelines in their overdose prevention kit.
- The US National Institute on Drug Abuse funded the first R01 for naloxone distribution.
- Rhode Island passed a recent Good Samaritan law that included both naloxone and protection from prosecution components.
- Connecticut passed a law intended to expand availability of take-home naloxone.
- Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the US Office of National Drug Control Policy, spoke in favor of take-home naloxone on June 10th 2012 at the College on Problems of Drug Dependence conference in Palm Springs. In fact, 3 of his 14 recommended action items involved naloxone availability.
It seems that overdose death, like fatality from motor vehicle accidents, is finally being recognized as preventable, and naloxone as the seatbelt.
This is not remotely a comprehensive list of what's happening. Please post other developments, by commenting here or by contacting an editor to publish a more detailed story.