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posted by Fnord666 on Thursday April 04 2019, @10:03PM   Printer-friendly
from the serious-epidemic dept.

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

A single-dose antidote may help prevent fentanyl overdoses

A newly developed single-dose opioid antidote lasts several days, a study in mice shows. If the results can be duplicated in humans, the treatment may one day help prevent overdoses from deadly drugs like fentanyl.

Normally, a dose of the opioid antidote naloxone passes through a person's body in about 30 minutes — far too quickly to fully counteract the effects of such synthetic opioids as fentanyl and carfentanil (SN Online: 5/1/18). These drugs, tens to thousands of times stronger than morphine, can linger in a person's system for hours or even days (SN: 6/10/17, p. 22). That requires multiple doses of an antidote to prevent someone from overdosing.

So researchers developed a new naloxone-based antidote to outlast synthetic opioids by creating nanoparticles in which naloxone molecules are tangled up with a biodegradable polymer called polylactic acid. Water and enzymes in the body slowly break down these nanosized tangles, gradually releasing naloxone.

In mice, the new nanoparticle delivery system counteracted the pain-relieving effects of morphine for up to 96 hours after administering a single dose of the antidote, according to research being presented March 31 at the American Chemical Society meeting in Orlando, Fla.

"We're now going to start moving onto fentanyl and carfentanil" and ramping up opioid doses to test whether the antidote can prevent a mouse from overdosing, says Saadyah Averick, a biomaterials researcher at the Allegheny Health Network Research Institute in Pittsburgh.


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  • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 04 2019, @10:10PM (13 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 04 2019, @10:10PM (#824717)

    If this works you are left with a live junkie, who will just steal more of your stuff to buy the next hit. A nice tasteful funeral is a better outcome for the community.

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  • (Score: 1) by Sulla on Thursday April 04 2019, @10:24PM

    by Sulla (5173) on Thursday April 04 2019, @10:24PM (#824723) Journal

    ramping up opioid doses to test whether the antidote can prevent a mouse from overdosing

    If TFS is to be believed it sounds like you could pump an addict full of the anti-drug and the addict would be unable to get themselves high. Drug induced cold turkey.

    --
    Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday April 04 2019, @10:54PM (9 children)

    by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Thursday April 04 2019, @10:54PM (#824732)

    But not better for the massively wealthy drug companies.

    The good thing about this discovery is that they can sell two drugs to junkies, instead of one.

    If they play their cards right, they can even create a whole bunch of new junkies.

    Profit!

    • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday April 05 2019, @12:30AM (8 children)

      by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Friday April 05 2019, @12:30AM (#824747) Journal

      Heh, seems like the PLA nanoparticles aren't that hard to prepare [springer.com] (I can see two pages, the second one containing the method in enough details).
      Infusing them with fentanyl for a "hours long safe high" may be an attractive proposition for illicit drug makers.

      --
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
      • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Friday April 05 2019, @01:18AM (4 children)

        by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Friday April 05 2019, @01:18AM (#824753)

        Good lord! You have a devious mind.

        • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday April 05 2019, @02:22AM (2 children)

          by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Friday April 05 2019, @02:22AM (#824774) Journal

          Good lord! You have a devious mind.

          Meh, I'm too old now to pursue the world domination, but... some side jobs now and then...
          Are you interested in a joint venture?

          (large grin)

          --
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
          • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Friday April 05 2019, @02:50AM (1 child)

            by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Friday April 05 2019, @02:50AM (#824785)

            I'm sure I don't know what you mean sir!

            • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday April 05 2019, @02:57AM

              by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Friday April 05 2019, @02:57AM (#824786) Journal

              I'm not sure I know what I mean.

              --
              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
        • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Friday April 05 2019, @02:41PM

          by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Friday April 05 2019, @02:41PM (#824923) Journal

          c0lo does not have a devious enough mind. Otherwise he wouldn't have said "illicit drug makers" and discriminated against our poor struggling prescription pharmaceutical corporations. They should also be allowed to make and profit from this. Keep the illicit drug makers out of it.

          --
          People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 05 2019, @10:15AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 05 2019, @10:15AM (#824841)

        You'd be better off going for the straight up heroin. Junkies don't like fentanyl, they buy it because they don't have a choice. It's a much less pleasant high than heroin AND more dangerous. Trying to sell them something new that's what they explicitly don't want? Good luck.

      • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Friday April 05 2019, @02:38PM

        by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Friday April 05 2019, @02:38PM (#824921) Journal

        Infusing them with fentanyl for a "hours long safe high" may be an attractive proposition for illicit drug makers.

        FTFY . . . for prescription drug makers.

        --
        People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
      • (Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Friday April 05 2019, @04:15PM

        by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us (6553) on Friday April 05 2019, @04:15PM (#824976) Journal

        Infusing them with fentanyl for a "hours long safe high" may be an attractive proposition for illicit drug makers.

        That one is already covered I think [medlineplus.gov].

        --
        This sig for rent.
  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 04 2019, @11:05PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 04 2019, @11:05PM (#824734)

    Sort of along the lines of seeing someone like you and thinking that some re-education camps might be the best option? Paging FEMA, we have a horrible human emergency on our hands! Please bring the barbed wire!!

    Still better than the guillotine amirite???

    See I can say stupid shit too! Only difference is mine is a sarcastic play off of yours.

    • (Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday April 05 2019, @03:59AM

      by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Friday April 05 2019, @03:59AM (#824797) Journal

      Assuming the guy you're replying to wasn't just trolling, the next likeliest explanation is he's one of those people who only understands suffering when it happens to him personally. Nothing reaches that type except through pain, unfortunately.

      --
      I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...