Food & Drug Administration Approves Selling Narcan, The Drug Used To Reverse Opioid Overdoses, Over The Counter To Make It More Available
Hackensack Meridian Addiction Experts Available To Comment On Need For Accessible Narcan, And Implications Of Availability Over The Counter
The opioid overdose antidote Narcan will soon be available over the counter, after the Food & Drug Administration cleared it for over the counter availability today. In February, a panel unanimously voted in favor of making Narcan available over the counter after discussions on whether untrained users would be able to safely and effectively use the nasal spray in an emergency overdose situation. The panel weighed concern about confusing instructions for the average person to use against the growing need for opioid overdose treatments.
The move to make Narcan more readily available comes as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) sees a record surge in overdose deaths. Overall, drug overdose deaths rose from 2019 to 2021 with more than 106,000 drug overdose deaths reported in 2021. Deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone (primarily fentanyl) continued to rise with 70,601 overdose deaths reported in 2021.
With the FDA approval of Narcan over the counter, it would be the first treatment for an overdose made available without a prescription. Narcan is a prefilled nasal device that is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. It is the leading drug to reverse an overdose, as others are available by injection. The manufacturer of Narcan says the over the counter version will be available starting this summer.
Narcan is currently available without a prescription in states where leaders have issued orders for pharmacists to sell the drug to anyone who asks for it. But not all pharmacies carry it and even when they do, they are required to keep it behind the counter. There is concern that the stigma of opioid addiction discourages people from asking a pharmacist for the drug. Now nationwide Narcan will soon be available in a drug store aisle rather than behind the counter, meaning people could purchase it without speaking with a pharmacist.
Hackensack Meridian addiction psychiatrists are available to speak about the importance of Narcan, and how making it available over the counter will make a significant difference in overdose deaths.
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