More than 150,000 take-home naloxone kits, which can prevent fatal overdoses from heroin, have been issued since a programme began in 2011.
The latest, national, naloxone programme monitoring report found a total of 28,689 kits were issued in Scotland in 2022-23.
This is down 1% on the previous year but, over the length of the programme, 151,944 take-home naloxone kits have been supplied in Scotland.
Naloxone reverses the effects of a potentially fatal overdose from opioid drugs such as heroin and morphine.
In April 2023, the “reach” of these kits was estimated to be 705 kits per 1,000 people with problematic drug use.
Most kits were distributed from community outlets in 2022-23, while 1,929 kits were issued in prisons upon release and 1,225 kits were distributed by the Scottish Ambulance Service.
Since 2019, nasally-administered naloxone has become available and its use is becoming more common.
Up until then, the medication was administered via an intramuscular injection.
Police Scotland completed a rollout of naloxone amongst its officers for use on the beat last year.
Designed to tackle drug deaths, Scotland’s national naloxone programme was the first of its kind in the world.
Public Health Scotland, which produced the report, said: “Administration of naloxone provides time for emergency services to arrive and for further treatment to be given.
“Following suitable training, take-home naloxone kits are issued to people at risk of opioid overdose, their friends and family and service workers in order to help prevent overdose deaths.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Scotland was the first country in the world to introduce a national naloxone programme and, as the threat from synthetic opioids increases, we welcome the upward trend in the number of take-home naloxone kits being distributed since the programme began.
“Distribution in recent years means seven out 10 people who are at risk of opioid overdose have been provided with a lifesaving kit since the programme began, according to most recent statistics.
“Since the beginning of the national mission, we have provided more than £3 million to widen access to naloxone, including a substantial investment in our emergency services which play a vital role in improving our response to drug overdose.
“There are more than 100 non-drug services organisations that currently distribute naloxone including community hubs, sexual health, homeless and women services and prisons.
“We have also invested in click and deliver service that provides free naloxone kits, and provided more than £300,000 to ensure that all community pharmacies hold naloxone. We’ll continue to take steps to widen its availability even further.”