Automatic drug release could revive overdose victims

Overdose happens when opioids bind to receptors in the brain that regulate breathing, causing a person to hypoventilate and die. In the US, approximately 130 people die every day from opioid-related overdoses and it is now the leading cause of death for people under the age of 50.

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Worn on the arm, the prototype device uses EKG (electrocardiography) signals to detect when a person’s respiration rate decreases to a certain level, then releases naloxone which blocks the opioid from binding to brain receptors. The system was developed by scientists and engineers at Purdue University and is described in the Journal of Controlled Release.

“The antidote is always going to be with you,” said Hyowon “Hugh” Lee, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Purdue. “The device wouldn’t require you to recognise that you’re having an overdose or to inject yourself with naloxone, keeping you stable long enough for emergency services to arrive.”