Compositions and Methods for the Treatment of Opioid Overdose

1 - 17 . (canceled)

18 . A unit dose pharmaceutical formulation configured for intranasal administration to an adult human subject in an aqueous solution of about 100 μL, comprising:

(a) about 3 mg of nalmefene hydrochloride;

(b) about 0.87 mg sodium chloride;

(c) about 0.25 mg dodecyl maltoside;

(d) about 0.04 mg benzalkonium chloride (50% solution);

(e) about 0.2 mg disodium edetate; and

(f) water in an amount sufficient to achieve a volume of about 100 μL;

wherein said unit dose pharmaceutical formulation has a pH ranging from 4.1 to 4.9;

further wherein a median T max is lower and a C max geometric mean after intranasal administration of said pharmaceutical formulation is higher in said adult human subject than each would have been after intramuscular administration of 1 mg nalmefene hydrochloride;

further wherein time to onset of reversal in said adult human subject of a remifentanil-induced respiratory depression ranges, after administration of said pharmaceutical formulation, ranges from 2.5 to 5 minutes in a ventilatory-response to hypercapnia model, and time to full reversal of remifentanil-induced depression of minute ventilation ranges from 5 to 15 minutes in the model after administration of said pharmaceutical formulation;

further wherein a plasma concentration versus time curve of the nalmefene in said adult human subject has a T max ranging from 12 to 18 minutes, and the C max geometric mean ranges from 8 ng/mL to 12 ng/mL;

further wherein, relative to naloxone, nalmefene has a longer duration of action than naloxone; and

further wherein nalmefene administered nasally has a higher AUC than nalmefene administered intramuscularly.

19 . The unit dose pharmaceutical formulation of claim 18 , wherein upon intranasal administration of said unit dose pharmaceutical formulation to said adult human subject, the median T max is about 15 minutes.

20 . The unit dose pharmaceutical formulation of claim 18 , wherein upon the intranasal administration of said formulation to said adult human subject, the C max geometric mean is about 10 ng/mL.

21 . The unit dose pharmaceutical formulation of claim 18 , wherein upon the nasal administration of said formulation to said adult human subject, the AUC 0-2.5min geometric mean is about 0.006 ng-hr/mL.