Overdose Reversal Drug Narcan Approved For Over-The-Counter Sale
AllSides Summary
The Food and Drug Administration approved over-the-counter sale of Emergent BioSolutions Inc's Narcan nasal spray, a drug commonly used to reverse opioid overdoses.
Key Quotes: FDA Commissioner Robert Califf issued a statement on the approval, stating it will “help improve access to naloxone, increase the number of locations where it’s available and help reduce opioid overdose deaths throughout the country. We encourage the manufacturer to make accessibility to the product a priority by making it available as soon as possible and at an affordable price.” The Associated Press quoted Chuck Ingoglia of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing stating the approval “represents a decisive, practical and humane approach to help people and flatten the curve of overdose deaths.”
For Context: Naloxone, the key ingredient in Narcan, is a fact-acting treatment for overdoses from opioids such as heroin and fentanyl. Over 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021. Narcan will be the first naloxone drug to become available without a prescription. It was approved for prescription sale in 2015. Emergent BioSolutions expects the drug will be available on store shelves and online by late summer of this year.
How The Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum reported on the approval. The reported price of prescription Narcan differed, with Reuters listing the price of a two-pack of Narcan as “about $120,” and Fox Business and the Associated Press listing two doses costing “around $50.” The over-the-counter cost is not yet known.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Center
US FDA approves over-the-counter sale of overdose reversal drug Narcan
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved over-the-counter (OTC) sales of Emergent BioSolutions Inc's (EBS.N) Narcan, allowing for easier availability of the life-saving medication used to reverse opioid overdoses.
The formal decision makes Narcan the first naloxone-based drug available without a prescription.
Emergent said it will make Narcan available on U.S. store shelves and online retailers by late summer.
"I think it's a big win. The question now remains about the cost," said Noa Krawczyk, assistant professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
The contract drugmaker declined...
From the Right
Opioid overdose drug Narcan approved for over-the-counter use by FDA
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved sales of the lifesaving opioid overdose medication Narcan without a prescription.
The agency said the nasal spray is the first naloxone product approved for use without a prescription.
Naloxone is a medication that rapidly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose and is the standard treatment for opioid overdose.
The U.S. reported more than 101,750 fatal overdoses occurring in the 12-month period ending in October 2022, primarily driven by synthetic opioids like illicit fentanyl.
From the Left
FDA approves over-the-counter Narcan. Here’s what it means
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved selling the leading version of naloxone without a prescription, setting the overdose-reversing drug on course to become the first opioid treatment drug to be sold over the counter.
It’s a move that some advocates have long sought as a way to improve access to a life-saving drug, though the exact impact will not be clear immediately.
Here’s a look at the issues involved.
WHAT IS NARCAN?
The approved nasal spray from Gaithersburg, Maryland-based Emergent BioSolutions is the best-known form of naloxone....
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