600 heroin users are to be given Naxalone, an antidote used to reverse the effects of an overdose, under a new scheme by the HSE.
The drug will be available for prescription from tomorrow under the initiative which aims to reduce the number of drug related deaths.
The group of 600 people includes addicts recently released from prison who have been identified as at high risk of overdose - they've been trained on how to administer the drug and recognise signs of an overdose, along with members of their families.
The project is being rolled out in Dublin, Limerick, Cork and Waterford.
350 people died in 2012 from a drug overdose - the majority of those involved opiates.
