Over-the-counter Narcan will save lives, experts say. But the cost will affect access
Advisers to the FDA put the opioid overdose-reversal drug a step closer to being sold without a needing a prescription. Even if approved, the medication may not reach many people who need it.
A drug used to reverse opioid overdoses could soon be sold over the counter.
A committee of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration this week voted unanimously in favor of making Narcan, a nasal-spray version of the generic drug naloxone, available without a prescription.
The FDA is weighing the move after fast-tracking an application from Emergent BioSolutions, the maker of Narcan, to let it sell the drug over the counter.
The medication is a key tool in preventing opioid-related overdose deaths, in recent years, due in large part to the spread of fentanyl. died of overdoses involving opioids in 2021, a historic high, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
