This story has been updated. Australian Doctor would like to clarify that the naloxone formulations used in the trial were prepared specifically for the trial and were not approved therapeutic products on the Australian market. The study did not use the branded nasal spray Nyxoid, which is PBS listed.

Nasal delivery of naloxone hydrochloride is inferior to intravenous injection in reversing opioid overdose, despite being the easier dispensing method, an Australian study suggests. 

But researchers say while an optimal dose and concentration of intranasal naloxone still needs to be determined, it is a useful method for loved ones and those without medical training who might be called upon to save lives.

The research team, led by Professor Paul Dietze from the Burnet Institute and Monash University in Melbourne, analysed data from 197 overdose cases involving 127 people (some having presented multiple times).