US FDA allows use of handheld opioid antidote

Washington: A new handheld device that can quickly deliver a life-saving antidote for opioid overdose, including heroin and prescription pain-killers, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The first prescription treatment can be used by family members or caregivers to treat a person known or suspected to have had an opioid overdose.

The device called Evzio (naloxone hydro-chloride injection) rapidly delivers a single dose of the drug naloxone via a hand-held auto-injector that can be carried in a pocket.