Nonfatal OD Activations, Naloxone Administration Dropped After May 2023

MONDAY, Oct. 26, 2026 (HealthDay News) – Emergency medical service (EMS)-documented nonfatal overdose (OD) activations and naloxone administrations declined after May 2023, according to a research letter published online Oct. 21 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.David T. Zhu, from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, and colleagues conducted a cohort study to examine temporal changes in nonfatal OD and naloxone administration from May 2020 through December 2025.The cohort included 5,324 naloxone-administering EMS agencies, which accounted for about 185.9 million EMS activations, 2.5 million nonfatal drug OD activations, and 1.4 million naloxone administrations. The researchers found that opioid involvement was documented in 40.5 percent of nonfatal OD activations; 3.5 percent of all naloxone administrations were accounted for by layperson-administered naloxone before EMS arrival. Of the nonfatal drug ODs and naloxone administrations, most occurred among those aged 25 to 44 years, non-Hispanic Whites, and those residing in the South and urban areas. Nonfatal drug and opioid OD activations peaked in May 2023, then declined; after May 2023, activations were 20.9 and 32.7 percent below projected levels, respectively. Total naloxone administrations were 21.3 percent below projected levels, and layperson-administered naloxone administrations were 40.6 percent below projected levels (average difference, −4,771 and −502, respectively)."There are big questions about why opioid OD mortality rates are falling nationally since 2023," coauthor Michael L. Barnett, M.D., from the Brown University School of Public Health in Providence, Rhode Island, said in a statement. "A lot of people think that increased use of naloxone is a big reason. This changes the narrative and says we have to look to other causes for OD declines."One author reported serving as an expert witness against opioid manufacturers.Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Nonfatal OD Activations, Naloxone Administration Dropped After May 2023

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