All Centres for Emergency Medical Care across Bulgaria are now equipped with a life-saving antidote used in cases of opioid overdose. Until recently, the drug was not widely available or was in short supply in many locations. However, following a private donation of 2,400 ampoules, medical teams are now able to respond to critical situations for approximately a year ahead.
The Ministry of Health is also working on state mechanisms to ensure regular supplies of the medication.
The antidote is crucial in cases of overdose with strong opioids, as it rapidly restores breathing. Emergency services in Sofia have had access to it so far, but this has not been the case everywhere.
Dr Inna Detelinova, Emergency Medical Care Centre – Sofia: “There were periods when colleagues in some other emergency centres reported shortages, so I would like to express gratitude for these donations. It is used specifically in cases of opioid overdose — most often heroin, and unfortunately also fentanyl."
The Emergency Medical Care Centre in Varna also said it has consistently had, and currently has, sufficient quantities of Naloxone, adding that there has been no case so far in which they were unable to assist a patient due to a lack of the medicine.
According to data from the national focal point, 147 people in Bulgaria died after using opiates in 2024 — ten times more than in previous years. Julia Georgieva, who has been working with people with substance dependence in Sofia for years, said state efforts should also focus on ensuring access to the nasal form of the antidote, which can be administered by users themselves.
Julia Georgieva, manager of the 'Pink House', said: “These are people with an illness who have the right, like any other citizen, to receive life-saving medication. It is important to note that fentanyl is currently being added to various narcotic substances, and many people in Bulgaria are at risk.”
The Ministry of Health said it is taking active steps to ensure wider access to the antidote. It added that medicinal products containing it are authorised for use in Bulgaria, but do not yet have an approved price. Efforts are also under way to include them in the Positive Drug List (a public register of medicinal products reimbursed by public funds -NHIF)
Чуй новините
Подкаст
