Preventing opioid-related deaths in Europe — continuity of care, peer naloxone and rapid overdose alerts

Objective: To mark International Overdose Awareness Day on 31 August, this webinar convenes policy, practice, research and community voices to discuss compassionate, evidence-informed and practical actions that can prevent opioid-related deaths across Europe. 

Overdose prevention is not only a clinical issue. It is a shared public health and social responsibility involving people who use drugs, peer networks, families, harm reduction services, treatment providers, emergency responders, prisons, municipalities, laboratories, early-warning systems, policymakers and communities. While this EUDA webinar focuses on opioid-related deaths and responses in Europe, the discussion is situated within the wider international purpose of the day: remembrance, stigma reduction and practical prevention.

Background: International Overdose Awareness Day is marked every year as a global moment to remember people who have died from overdose, acknowledge the grief of families and communities, reduce stigma, and promote action to prevent future deaths. It began in 2001 as a community remembrance event at The Salvation Army needle exchange facility in Melbourne, Australia. Since 2012, the Penington Institute, an Australian non-profit organisation working to reduce drug-related harms, has led the campaign and supported its growth into a global day of remembrance, awareness and action. The official 2026 theme is ‘25 Years On. Still Needed’, marking the campaign’s 25th anniversary. Its principles emphasise that overdose can, and must, be prevented, that evidence-based solutions exist, and that only a community-wide effort can end overdose.

Opioid-related deaths remain a major public health concern in Europe. The EUDA’s 2026 analysis estimates that there were at least 7 600 drug-induced deaths in the EU in 2024, with opioids, often in combination with other substances, remaining the substances most commonly implicated. The EUDA also highlights an increasingly complex risk environment, including polysubstance use , ageing cohorts of people who use opioids, and the appearance of potent new synthetic opioids, such as nitazenes and orphines.

Preventing opioid-related deaths requires an integrated approach. The EUDA’s own guidance stresses the need for a multifaceted response, including high coverage of opioid agonist treatment, quality harm reduction services, take-home naloxone, safer-use information, continuity of care after prison or treatment interruptions, and collaboration between health, social, community and emergency actors.

This webinar would therefore frame overdose prevention around three linked moments:

• Before overdose occurs: reduce risk through opioid agonist treatment, retention in care and continuity across transitions.
• If overdose occurs: reduce fatal outcomes through take-home naloxone access, training and response.
• When the drug market changes: reduce clusters of harm through rapid information-sharing, early warning and practical alerts for people who use drugs and frontline services.

In conversation with:

• João Vian, MD, Scientific analyst — Health and social responses, Treatment, mental health and outcomes evaluation, EUDA;
• Best practises from Europe on take-home naloxone (speaker to be confirmed);
• National overdose alert system in Norway (speaker to be confirmed). 

Chairperson: Eliza Kurcevič-Ramonė, EUDA.

Opening remarks: Prof. Thomas Clausen, EUDA.

Support team: Marica Ferri, Anna Ferrara, Marco Costa, Silke Vitt (EUDA).

Format: Opening remarks, speaker presentations, panellists’ questions, audience Q&A and closing remarks.

Length: 1.5 hours.

Participants: Open to all registered attendees (a joining link will be provided upon registration). 

Webinar etiquette: We welcome participants using the chat during the webinar but kindly ask them to refrain from using it for airing grievances, promoting events/commercial initiatives or misusing contact details. Please engage with courtesy and respect. Violation of these guidelines may result in exclusion from the chat by the administrator. Thank you for your cooperation in making this webinar a positive and focused learning experience for all.

Date: 31 August 2026 | 12:00–13:30 Lisbon time (WEST) — 13:00–14:30 (CEST).

Platform: Zoom.