Originally published at: Naloxone implant detects and counters opioid overdoses - Boing Boing
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Great. The rich can have this installed in themselves and do all the drugs. The homeless and street people only wish they could have such technical marvels implanted in them… wait.
Who exactly is this for?
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I like this idea, however I’d like to know how it could be refilled and how often. I’ve administered Naloxone to the same person 4 times in a 2 day period, and he died a week later when I wasn’t working.
The thing about opiate addiction is it’s an everyday thing, not once in awhile. I know some entrenched drug users who would see something like this as a license to use alone. And would OD, get revived by the implant, then OD again 10 minutes later.
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“It has worked well in animals, reviving 24 out of 25 overdosed pigs within 3.2 minutes”
Who has been selling drugs to pigs?
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This guy.
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Isn’t “selling drugs to pigs” another way of saying “getting caught in a sting operation”?
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Last year I saw a talk by the head researcher on this project. The main thing I remember was that the target audience wants no part in getting this device implanted at all. It’s a planned human study that is easier to get regulatory permission than study volunteers. They took the drugs intentionally; uncontrolled sudden narcan injection is the last thing they want.
The other thing I remember from the talk is all the unintended jokes about pigs and drugs, like “pigs are really sensitive to fentanyl”
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Where are they implanting that thing? It’s massive.
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I’m not so sure about that. My experience with Narcan is probably more limited than you describe, but it throws folks into instant withdrawal and they will often come up swinging and puking. Not much fun. The issue of how often do you need to refill it, how much of an issue is that, and how much would it cost are all very real issues. But the number of folks who die this way is an ongoing tragedy that needs something to break the pattern. Not so clear that this is that thing, but I understand the impulse to try. Would have to see the effect on humans to draw any real conclusions. Animal studies are inherently limited.
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Ketracel-white; it’s one heck of a drug.
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Researcher, “Tell me, how was that for you?”
Test Subject, “Oink.”
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