FDA panel recommends making opioid overdose antidote available over the counter

A drug that can rapidly reverse opioid overdoses could soon be available to anyone without a prescription.

A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to recommend that the agency allow a nasal spray version of naloxone, from Emergent Biosolutions, to be sold over the counter. 

Naloxone, also sold under the brand name Narcan, is a medication that has been used for decades to quickly reverse the effects of an overdose from opioids, including prescription painkillers, as well as heroin and fentanyl. In November, the FDA asked drug companies that make naloxone...