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Approximately 10% to 25% of heroin users overdose annually, and overdose accounts for half of all deaths among heroin users. Naloxone has been approved for use by lay people (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2012; 61:101), and research suggests that community-based use of naloxone prevents some overdose deaths. Using data from the literature and subsequent modeling, researchers estimated the cost-effectiveness of distributing naloxone to 20% of heroin users for use in witnessed overdose events compared with no intervention.
In a probabilistic analysis, 6% of overdose deaths were prevented by distribution of naloxone, and 1 death was prevented for every 227 naloxone kits distributed. Naloxone distribution was highly cost-effective at US$438 per qual…