Synonyms: (-)-naloxone | Kloxxado® (naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray) | l-naloxone | Narcan® | Nyxoid®
naloxone is an approved drug (FDA (1971), EMA (2017))
Compound class:
Synthetic organic
Comment: The approved drug naloxone INN-assigned preparation is the (-)-enantiomer. For a summary of the (+)-enantiomer, see the ligand page for (+)-naloxone. (-)-naloxone is the active enantiomer. The (+) isomer is inactive at the opioid receptors.
Marketed formulations may contain naloxone hydrochloride (PubChem CID 5464092). ![]() Ligand Activity Visualisation ChartsThese are box plot that provide a unique visualisation, summarising all the activity data for a ligand taken from ChEMBL and GtoPdb across multiple targets and species. Click on a plot to see the median, interquartile range, low and high data points. A value of zero indicates that no data are available. A separate chart is created for each target, and where possible the algorithm tries to merge ChEMBL and GtoPdb targets by matching them on name and UniProt accession, for each available species. However, please note that inconsistency in naming of targets may lead to data for the same target being reported across multiple charts. ✖![]() View more information in the IUPHAR Pharmacology Education Project: naloxone |
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No information available. |
Summary of Clinical Use ![]() |
Used to reverse narcotic depression, including respiratory depression induced by opioids. Also indicated for the diagnosis of acute opioid overdose and as an adjunctive agent to increase blood pressure following septic shock. Naloxone is sometimes combined in fixed-mixture brands with opioid analgesics as a method of deterring abuse of opioid medications. Naloxone blocks the euphoric effects of the opioid, making it less attractive to drug abusers. Examples of such combinations are Targiniq ER® which contains oxycodone hydrochloride and naloxone hydrochloride and Suboxone® and Zubsolv® which contain naloxone and buprenorphine. Targiniq ER® is used as a pain medication in specific patients, whereas Suboxone® and Zubsolv® are used to treat opiate dependence. In September 2014 the US FDA approved Contrave® (bupropion and naloxone), a fixed-mixture medication, to be used in conjunction with reduced-calorie intake and physical activity, as a treatment for chronic weight management. |
Mechanism Of Action and Pharmacodynamic Effects ![]() |
The exact mechanism of action of naloxone is unknown, but its properties are believed to arise from its antagonism of opioid receptors. |
External links ![]() |
For extended ADME data see the following: Electronic Medicines Compendium (eMC) Drugs.com European Medicines Agency (EMA) |