Intranasal leptin improves survival after opioid overdose in a mouse model

Excerpt

It is critical to develop drugs that prevent deaths induced by opioids. More than 120 daily deaths in the United States are attributed to opioid overdose and mortality is accelerating with the intersection between the opioid crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic [1]. Naloxone is the only available drug capable of reversing opioid’s adverse effects and preventing death. However, naloxone has a limited use because it reverses analgesia and induces withdrawal [2]. We have previously reported that intranasal (IN) leptin prevents opioid induced respiratory depression, the main cause of death related to opioids [3]. In this translational study, we investigate if the intranasal route effectively delivers leptin to the brain, where it acts on respiratory control centers [4‐6], and if it prevents opioid-related deaths. …