ANTI-HEROIN DRUG OFF-LIMITS

HEROIN addicts will not be given the anti-overdose drug, Narcan, to
use in life-threatening situations.

The State Government has decided not to go ahead with a trial of the
drug. St John Ambulance officers began carrying Narcan in June 1997
after the organisation decided the problem of heroin overdose was
serious enough to override worries about cost, effectiveness and a
shortage of trained officers.

The Health Department asked researchers at Curtin University's
National Drug Research Institute in July 1998 to investigate whether
there should be a trial of peer administration of Narcan.

Researchers said last year that, given the increasing number of heroin
deaths in Australia, the idea was worth testing.

Institute research fellow Simon Lenton said researchers were told last
month that a trial would not be approved in WA.

Their findings will be published in a report in the Medical Journal of
Australia today.

Mr Lenton said experts had been suggesting for a decade that Narcan
should be given to heroin users for use if their peers had an overdose.

Research showed there was ample opportunity for intervention when a
heroin user overdosed.

About 60 per cent of deaths happened in the company of others and in
many cases death occurred more than three hours after injection.

But there were some downsides to the drug's use.

"It is only available on prescription and there are some potential
hazards with its use," Mr Lenton said. "Some people can have an
adverse reaction to the drug and if people come around too quickly
they can have heroin withdrawal or become aggressive."

The drug could cut fatal heroin overdoses but it had to be determined
whether it would affect the effectiveness of other overdose prevention
strategies.

"We want to make sure if it's made available people use it properly
and it doesn't undermine existing strategies or result in more
hazardous heroin use," he said.

Mr Lenton's report suggested a one-year three-State trial comparing
training of addicts in normal first-aid measures, but without Narcan,
and training involving use of Narcan.

Although the trial has been rejected in WA, authorities in other
States and the Federal Government have expressed interest.

Health Department drug and alcohol policy director Kevin Larkins said
the trial had been rejected after consideration of the size of WA's
drug-using population.

There were worries that it could undermine existing
strategies.

Research showed some people thought of Narcan as a "magic
bullet".

The department had put $100,000 into a big peer first-aid training
program.