About 600 heroin users are to be given a life-saving antidote in cases of overdoses, under a HSE project aimed at reducing drug deaths.
Drug users and those close to them have been trained on how to administer naloxone — which comes in a pre-filled syringe — and to recognise the signs of overdose.
Health Minister Leo Varadkar and Drugs Minister Aodhán Ó Ríordáin welcomed the confirmation by the HSE that naloxone was going to be made available from today on prescription.
The Irish Examiner reported on Wednesday that HSE drug and alcohol service had made the decision.
In a statement, Mr Varadkar and junior minister Mr Ó Ríordáin said naloxone was an antidote used to reverse the effects of opioid drugs if someone overdosed.
Source: Corrmac O'Keeffe, Irish Examiner, 22/05/15