An Opioid Overdose Kit Lets Anyone Respond to an Emergency
Onebox, a West Virginia company, makes boxes that come with video instructions and space for the overdose reversal drug naloxone.
The Onebox emergency response kit for opioid overdoses.
Courtesy: Onebox/ West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute
When a person experiences an opioid overdose, breathing slows dramatically, and the brain is starved of oxygen, leading to potential brain damage, cardiac arrest and death. It’s critical that someone in the throes of such an episode receives emergency medical attention, including at least one dose of naloxone, which restores respiratory function.
The US Food and Drug Administration approved the first naloxone nasal spray in 2015—Narcan, made by Emergent Biosolutions Inc. On March 29, the regulator approved the treatment for over-the-counter use, the first naloxone product to be made available without a prescription. As the treatments become more widely available, programs to train people how to use them have sprung up across the country.