Narcan Is Headed to Stores: What You Need to Know

Narcan, the primary opioid overdose reversal medicine authorized for over-the-counter buy, is being shipped to drugstore and grocery chains nationwide, its producer stated Wednesday. Big-box shops like Walgreens, CVS, Walmart and Rite Aid stated they anticipated Narcan to be accessible on-line and on many retailer cabinets early subsequent week.

Public well being specialists have lengthy known as for better accessibility to the drug, which they describe as a essential weapon towards rising overdose charges. There have been greater than 100,000 opioid overdose fatalities in every of the final two years within the United States.

Narcan is already a staple for emergency personnel and road outreach groups. Now scientists and well being officers are hoping Narcan will ultimately develop into commonplace in public libraries, subways, dorms, nook delis and road merchandising machines.

They additionally predict it could develop into a fixture in medication cupboards, as extra individuals notice that illicit social gathering medication like cocaine and counterfeit Xanax drugs could also be tainted with lethal fentanyl, an opioid.

Here’s what you must find out about shopping for this lifesaving medicine.

How Narcan Works

Narcan is a nasal-spray model of the drug naloxone, which blocks an opioid’s results on the mind, rescuing an individual overcome by medication like fentanyl, heroin or oxycodone.

An particular person could also be overdosing if his or her respiration is slowed or stopped, and the pupils of the eyes slender to a pinpoint. Naloxone is usually thought-about so secure that specialists say that, when confronted with a attainable overdose, it’s higher to threat utilizing it than to hesitate.

Each carton incorporates two palm-size plunger gadgets, every crammed with 4 milligrams of naloxone. The rescuer inserts the spray tip into the affected person’s nostril and depresses the plunger.

Usually one dose is ample to reverse an overdose inside two to a few minutes. But dependancy specialists have reported that in areas the place the fentanyl provide is kind of potent, a second dose could also be wanted.

How Much Will It Cost?

The price is more likely to dictate the extent of Narcan’s uptake. The producer, Emergent BioSolutions, suggests $44.99 as the worth of the two-dose field.

“People with some money and motivation will seek this product out, which is fantastic,” stated Brendan Solaner, an dependancy coverage skilled at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “That may include concerned family members.”

But those that will want Narcan probably the most might not be capable of afford it, he added, saying that “this includes people who are unhoused or financially insecure and are at greatest risk of overdose.”

When Narcan was accessible solely by prescription, private and non-private insurance coverage readily coated it. But these plans usually prohibit protection of over-the-counter medication.

Some state Medicaid packages have already introduced that they may cowl Narcan when it turns into accessible over-the-counter. Those states embrace Missouri, California, Massachusetts, Washington, Rhode Island and Oregon.

Emergent stated that costs can be decrease for bulk gross sales to public curiosity teams and state well being departments, which is able to in flip distribute Narcan to native outreach organizations and clinics.

How Will I Find Narcan in Stores?

Retailers typically put pricier merchandise or these which can be more likely to be stolen behind a counter or in a locked case. But behavioral well being specialists say that clients could also be reluctant to ask retailer employees for Narcan, fearing raised eyebrows and dismissive feedback — marks of the pervasive stigma surrounding drug use and dependancy.

Through a spokeswoman, Rite Aid stated Narcan can be accessible at its pharmacy counter and in ache care aisles. Many shops, together with CVS, can even have it by the entrance register. Rite Aid, Walgreens, Walmart and CVS additionally stated that Narcan could possibly be bought subsequent week by means of their on-line websites, providing better privateness.

“Stigma will always be there, but I think there’s been a sea change in how the public perceives naloxone over the last decade, and many more people are willing to carry it,” Dr. Solaner stated.

What’s Next?

Although Narcan is the primary overdose reversal medication to be offered over-the-counter, the sector is more likely to be crowded quickly with cheaper rivals.

A generic naloxone spray by Teva Pharmaceuticals continues to be accessible by prescription, which implies that private and non-private insurance coverage insurance policies usually cowl it. Pharmacists in most states depend on a “standing order” for the spray, which suggests they don’t want a doctor’s prescription to dispense it. For an individual with Medicaid or business insurance coverage, generic naloxone may properly be lower than $10.

CVS is encouraging clients to ask for Narcan on the pharmacy counter “so our pharmacy teams can check a patient’s insurance plan for potential savings on prescription naloxone products,” a spokesman stated.

Earlier this summer time, the Food and Drug Administration gave over-the-counter approval to RiVive, a naloxone spray anticipated in early 2024. RiVive, manufactured by Harm Reduction Therapeutics, is meant as a low-cost product largely for outreach teams.

Other types of naloxone, together with some with greater concentrations and a few which can be loaded in syringes, are already accessible by prescription.