To save lives, overdose antidote should be sold over-the-counter, advocates argue

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/12/14/ [login to see] /to-save-lives-overdose-antidote-should-be-sold-over-the-counter-advocates-argue
Louise Vincent figures her group, the North Carolina Survivors Union, saves at least 1,690 lives a year.

The harm-reduction and syringe service program in Greensboro, N.C., distributes the opioid overdose reversal medication naloxone to people who use drugs. Research suggests this approach is effective, since people who use drugs are most likely to witness an overdose and administer naloxone.

The 1,690 number refers to how many times participants in the Survivors Union reported using the medication between July 2020 and June 2021. But the true number of lives saved could be higher: The program distributed nearly 9,400 doses of naloxone during that time.