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Related Experiment Video

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Author Spotlight: An Efficient Methodology to Confidently Differentiate and Characterize Fentanyl Analogs

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Published on: November 8, 2024

Co-prescribing naloxone does not increase liability risk.

Corey S Davis¹, Scott Burris², Leo Beletsky^3,4

¹a Network for Public Health Law , Los Angeles , California , USA.

Substance Abuse

|September 21, 2016

Summary

Prescribing naloxone (Narcan) to reverse opioid overdoses is legally safe for healthcare providers. Legal protections exist in most states, making co-prescribing a reasonable clinical decision.

Keywords:

Liability naloxone opioids overdose

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Area of Science:

Public Health
Emergency Medicine
Pharmacology

Background:

The opioid overdose epidemic causes significant mortality in the US.
Naloxone is a life-saving opioid antagonist available for layperson use.
Some healthcare providers express concerns regarding legal risks of prescribing naloxone.

Purpose of the Study:

To address provider concerns about legal risks associated with naloxone prescribing.
To clarify the legal landscape surrounding naloxone co-prescribing.
To encourage naloxone co-prescribing for patients at risk of overdose.

Main Methods:

Analysis of legal frameworks and protections for naloxone prescribers.
Review of existing literature on provider concerns and legal liability.
Clinical judgment assessment for co-prescribing decisions.

Main Results:

Legal risks for prescribing naloxone are minimal, comparable to other medications.
Most states offer explicit legal protections for providers prescribing or dispensing naloxone.
Liability risk is extremely low or absent in many states when prescribing in good faith.

Conclusions:

Concerns about legal risks are largely unfounded.
Co-prescribing naloxone is a clinically sound and legally protected practice.
Clinicians should not refuse naloxone prescriptions due to unfounded liability fears.