This pharmacist used to lose patients. A miracle drug is changing that

Chris Lawler has spent two decades helping some of Canberra's most vulnerable people stay alive.

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The Civic pharmacist has lost many patients from untreatable conditions.

The Pharmacy on Northbourne co-owner Chris Lawler. Picture by Karleen Minney

But a miracle drug is now turning the tables, Mr Lawler says, by reducing the risk of death for some of his regulars.

"When I first started, we were meeting people, and maybe they were participating in much riskier activities," he said.

"But now, you just see the chaos in their life settle down; you see them become more financially stable, eating better, happier.

"Now I am seeing people get past 50 or 60 years old, and they're being treated for other long-term medical needs, like blood pressure issues or cholesterol."

The Pharmacy on Northbourne's location, long opening hours and stints hosting ACT health workers have attracted Canberrans from all walks of life.

Among them are people battling drug addiction, of which there are about 1100 in the ACT.

Mr Lawler said that people having or witnessing an overdose in the past would have to call an ambulance and wait for it to arrive to get any effective treatment.

"A lot of people have naloxone in first aid kits now," he said.

"Most of my clients (with opioid addictions) have got some at home, in case something happens.

"I know that they are using it because people will ask for replacement nasal sprays, and will say 'oh it's because we used it'."

Naloxone reverses the effects of an overdose by attaching to opioid receptors in the brain, thereby stopping drugs from accessing those receptors.

The federal government started subsidising naloxone through pharmacies and other healthcare providers in 2022, after a pilot program showed it was reversing at least three overdoses a day.

About 1.4 million units of naloxone have since been given to people across Australia for free and without a prescription.

The Pharmacy on Northbourne's support for people battling addiction is one of the community-minded initiatives that helped it earn a nomination for the Lifeline Spirit of Canberra award in 2026.

Mr Lawler said it was reassuring that some of his most vulnerable clients were now living longer.

"I think patients are relying on pharmacies more because of our accessibility; you know, you can just come in and get free advice, and just have a conversation with us," Mr Lawler said.

"I think that we are a good place for clients to come for (drug and alcohol) treatment because we are non-judgmental.

"We listen to them, we are well-connected with the health services, and we have great drug and alcohol specialists in Canberra, both in ACT Health and at some of the not-for-profits."

One big question has been raised in the debate about naloxone's rollout: could a treatment for overdoses encourage people to take more drugs?

Eight health researchers in Melbourne and Sydney asked this question in a 2023 study about a group of 1300 people who inject drugs.

They found there there was no association between using naloxone and taking more drugs, and research in the United States has produced similar results.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing said the purpose of providing naloxone for free was not to facilitate opioid use, but to reduce the risk of death if an overdose occurred.

"The take home naloxone program reflects the national drug strategys overarching commitment to harm minimisation, with harm-reduction measures such as naloxone working alongside demand-reduction and supply-reduction strategies to reduce drug-related harm," the spokesperson said.

"Importantly, the program includes education alongside supply.

"Service providers provide a non-judgemental discussion regarding the application of naloxone with individuals before providing the supply."

The spokesperson said the Australian government remained committed to providing free access to naloxone through community pharmacies and participating non-pharmacy sites.

"The Department is not proposing any changes that would remove free access to naloxone," they said.

"The program continues to expand access through a broad range of participating providers across Australia."

An ACT Health and Community Services Directorate spokesperson said a 2025 review by Australian National University and Burnet Institute researchers found that ACT has some of the highest levels of naloxone access and training in Australia.

"The review estimated that 68 per cent of people who inject heroin in the ACT have access to take home naloxone, with high-quality international evidence showing that approximately 96 per cent of take home naloxone administrations successfully reversing an overdose," the spokesperson said.

"The review's economic modelling found that the ACT's current harm reduction measures, including take home naloxone, opioid agonist treatment, needle and syringe programs and drug checking services, are estimated to avert 70 drug-related deaths, 474 overdoses and 215 emergency responses over the period 2026-2030 compared with a scenario in which those services were not available.

"The review also found that take-home naloxone delivered the highest return on investment of all interventions assessed."

ACT Minister for Health Dr Marisa Paterson said she was committed to reducing harm associated with illicit drugs, preventing the loss of life from overdose in the ACT and prioritising community safety and the dignity of people who use drugs.

"The government views drug use as a health issue rather than a criminal justice issue, as evidenced by our leadership on initiatives such as the drug possession law reform that commenced in October 2023 and the introduction of the CanTEST fixed-site drug checking service in 2022."

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