Silke Jasso
On Wednesday, the independent advisors of the Food and Drug Administration unanimously suggested that the nasal spray Narcan, produced by Emergent BioSolutions, should be made available over the counter to treat opioid overdoses.
Videos by Rare
This recommendation could greatly improve access to the life-saving treatment. The FDA is expected to decide by March 29 whether to permit the purchase of the four-milligram nasal spray without a prescription. While the agency is not obligated to follow the advisors’ suggestions, it usually does.
“There is no reason to keep this as a prescription, let’s get it out there and save some lives,” Elizabeth Coykendall, a paramedic at PM Pediatrics in Raleigh, North Carolina stated. Coykendall is also a temporary voting member of the FDA committee.
If the FDA approves the recommendation next month, Emergent BioSolutions announced that Narcan will be available for purchase in the over-the-counter market by the end of late summer. The company has not yet revealed the cost of the medication.
Narcan (Naloxone) Opioid Overdose Treatment Explained
“We have been working on distribution plans with key stakeholders like retailers and government leaders,” Matt Hartwig, a spokesperson for the company stated.
Currently, most states have authorized blanket prescriptions that allow pharmacies to distribute naloxone, Narcan, without the patient needing a prescription. However, if the FDA grants approval for Narcan to be available over the counter, it would then enable greater accessibility to the medication in more locations and make it easier for more individuals to obtain the treatment.
“If naloxone becomes a nonprescription product, it may be sold in many venues previously unavailable to consumers, including vending machines, convenience stores, supermarkets and big box stores, just like other nonprescription products,” Jody Green, an official at the FDA’s nonprescription drug division stated.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, since 1999, over 564,000 individuals in the U.S. have died due to opioids in three waves, beginning with prescription opioids, followed by heroin, and most recently, fentanyl. Opioid overdose deaths rose significantly by 17%, from roughly 69,000 in 2020 to almost 81,000 in 2021, during the pandemic.
