Dec.14, 2022 — A drug that reverses overdoses could become available over the counter, manufacturer Emergent BioSolutions says.
The company has asked the Food and Drug Administration to sell Narcan without a prescription. The medication a nasal spray version of naloxone and has a strong record of reversing deadly opioid overdoses, National Public Radio reported.
Such overdoses are rising with the wider use of fentanyl nationwide.
The drug can reverse the harmful effects of severe opioid overdoses when people stop breathing and die. The medication is hard to get because of varying federal and state laws.
About 80,000 people died last year from opioid overdoses, said Rahul Gupta, MD, head of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Many could have been prevented with naloxone.
“There is today no excuse, no excuse absolutely for not having it everywhere available, when we know that’s one medication that can save tens of thousands of lives right now,” Gupta said.
Advocates said the price will have to be right for drug users to buy it widely. Emergent hasn’t yet said how much the non-prescription Narcan would cost.
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf has indicated Emergent’s plans would be approved, NPR reported.
“We think it is time to move to over the counter naloxone,” he said at a press conference.
Emergent says it expects approval by the end of March.
NPR: “A major drugmaker plans to sell overdose-reversal nasal spray Narcan over the counter”
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