Ministers urged to go further on access to life-saving drug
Health minister Karin Smyth said the legislation to expand the access of Naloxone would ‘save lives’, with more services able to supply it.
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Your support makes all the difference.Ministers have been urged to go further on improving access to a drug which can reverse the effects of opioids such as heroin.
Health minister Karin Smyth said the legislation to expand the access of Naloxone would “save lives”, with more services and professionals able to supply it.
But other MPs pushed the Government to go further, with calls for taxi drivers and nightclub staff to be trained in administrating the drug, in addition to it being available at all pharmacies.
I would like to ask the minister to monitor the success of this expansion closely, listen to those organisations on the ground, and keep under review whether it be practical and desirable to expand access even further
In the Commons on Monday, Ms Smyth said Naloxone is a “highly effective antidote” against opiate overdose and can be administered “quickly and safely by anyone in an emergency”.
As MPs debated the Draft Human Medicines (Amendments Relating to Naloxone and Transfers of Functions) Regulations 2024, Ms Smyth said existing regulations limit the reach of the life-saving medicine.
She added: “Widening the statutory framework will mean more services and professionals are able to supply this medication.
“This means easier access to it for people at-risk and for their loved ones and, in short, this legislation will save lives.
“We’re already seeing the benefits of professionals outside the health service, such as police officers, being able to administer Naloxone.
“North Yorkshire Police has already saved seven lives since April when Naloxone was rolled out across the force.”
Liberal Democrat MP Bobby Dean, who represents Carshalton and and Wallington, said a lack of action would have led to a “national emergency comparable to the Fentanyl crisis sweeping across the United States”, as he welcomed the legislation brought forward by the Government.
He went on to say: “I would like to ask the minister to monitor the success of this expansion closely, listen to those organisations on the ground, and keep under review whether it be practical and desirable to expand access even further.
“Some charities have called for, potentially taxi drivers or nightclub door staff to be able to have access to it, if they want it. And of course, that would have to go alongside the appropriate training to recognise things about the effects of it wearing off in 30 minutes’ time.”
He added: “Going further also means taking a whole systems approach to drugs policy, from appropriate sentencing to investment in addiction services and other specialist support for users.
“We have tried the tough talk, we have tried the wars on drugs route in this country, and it has left us as one the worst rates of drug-related deaths in Europe.
“So a move such as transferring the departmental lead on drugs policy from the Home Office to the Department of Health and Social Care would go a long way to recognising that ultimately, our drugs policy should be driven by reducing harm and saving lives.”
During the debate, Sian Berry, MP for Brighton Pavilion, urged the Government to “go further, if you can”.
She said: “I think one of the more simple ways to do this might be simply to make it a pharmacy-available drug, rather than a prescription drug, with some exceptions as we have now.
“However, I don’t want to say: not to do this. I want to say: do this, and then review it and go further, if you can.”
A motion to approve the Draft Human Medicines (Amendments Relating to Naloxone and Transfers of Functions) Regulations 2024 was supported by MPs.