Opioids are powerful medications and illegal drugs that strongly alter the normal function of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). People who take too much of one or more of these substances can develop a dangerous, potentially lethal problem called an opioid overdose. Public health officials know that prompt use of a medication called naloxone can steeply reduce the odds that an opioid overdose victim will die; however, until recently, access to this medication was largely limited to licensed physicians. In April 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration simultaneously approved the sale of a naloxone-based product called Evzio and made this product available for use by people not trained as doctors.

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