NHS Tayside has vowed to continue providing a drug that treats overdose victims after the end of a Government funding programme.
The synthetic drug Naloxone blocks or reverses the effects of opioid medication and has been credited with saving the lives of dozens of Dundonians.
The Scottish Government has funded the supply of the drug with their National Take Home Naloxone programme but they will pull the cash next year.
They currently supply NHS Tayside with the Naloxone they require but with the Scottish Government pulling out of the funding in 2016 there are fears the drug will no longer be accessible.
To keep up the programme in 2016, NHS Tayside would have to add the costs of the drug to its budget.
It comes as the health board admit they are already £5m over budget this year.
Dave Barrie, a senior development worker at drugs charity Addaction in Dundee, said: “Without it, I think drug deaths would definitely increase.
“We have people coming back to us all the time saying ‘I used it on my friend when they overdosed’.
“To me, it’s a no-brainer but we’re in competition with cancer drugs and I’m worried no one will fund it.
“There are a number of meetings going on with the health board over the coming months and we’ll have to see what happens.”
Mr Barrie said about £20,000 would need to be found in NHS Tayside’s budget if they were to fund it.
A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said: “We’re aware that the five-year Scottish Government programme to fund Naloxone is coming to an end in 2016 and future provision of the kits will be brought into NHS Tayside’s normal drug prescribing arrangements.
“In line with this, NHS Tayside is working with its partners to plan for these new arrangements and to monitor the provision of Naloxone kits in the future.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Naloxone is an important intervention, within a range of available treatment and support, which can help to reduce harm.
“Since 2010 we have made more than £1m of Scottish Government funding available to the programme, including funding to health boards to enable them to develop their own local programmes.The national programme, which has been very successful, is now in its final year of the current format.”