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| Opioid overdose drug Narcan approved for sale without prescription | Opioid overdose drug Narcan approved for sale without prescription |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, is known for being able to reverse an opioid overdose within minutes | Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, is known for being able to reverse an opioid overdose within minutes |
| A drug that reverses opioid overdoses can now be purchased without a prescription in the US, officials said. | A drug that reverses opioid overdoses can now be purchased without a prescription in the US, officials said. |
| Approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) means naloxone can be sold as a single-dose nasal spray in convenience and grocery stores. | Approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) means naloxone can be sold as a single-dose nasal spray in convenience and grocery stores. |
| Until now, Narcan - the nasal spray version of naloxone - was only available through a pharmacist or at local health centres. | |
| FDA commissioner Robert Cliff called the move "a dire public health need". | FDA commissioner Robert Cliff called the move "a dire public health need". |
| Widening the availability of Narcan is the latest effort to tackle an alarmingly high drug fatality rate in the US. | Widening the availability of Narcan is the latest effort to tackle an alarmingly high drug fatality rate in the US. |
| "Today's approval of (over-the-counter) naloxone nasal spray will help improve access to naloxone, increase the number of locations where it's available, and help reduce opioid overdose deaths throughout the country," Mr Cliff said in a statement on Wednesday. | "Today's approval of (over-the-counter) naloxone nasal spray will help improve access to naloxone, increase the number of locations where it's available, and help reduce opioid overdose deaths throughout the country," Mr Cliff said in a statement on Wednesday. |
| More than 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses last year, according to the FDA. The vast majority were adults, though numbers show that teen overdose rates are rapidly rising. | More than 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses last year, according to the FDA. The vast majority were adults, though numbers show that teen overdose rates are rapidly rising. |
| US teens fastest growing group to die from fentanyl overdose | US teens fastest growing group to die from fentanyl overdose |
| Narcan has been available at pharmacies since it gained FDA approval in 2015, but only with a prescription. It has also been distributed through local health departments, community centres and needle exchange programmes in some states. | Narcan has been available at pharmacies since it gained FDA approval in 2015, but only with a prescription. It has also been distributed through local health departments, community centres and needle exchange programmes in some states. |
| It reverses fatal overdoses by blocking the effect that opioids have on the nervous system. The nasal spray must be administered as soon as an overdose is suspected. | It reverses fatal overdoses by blocking the effect that opioids have on the nervous system. The nasal spray must be administered as soon as an overdose is suspected. |
| It can restore normal breathing to a person experiencing an opioid overdose in two to three minutes. | It can restore normal breathing to a person experiencing an opioid overdose in two to three minutes. |
| In cases involving more powerful opioids like fentanyl, more than one dose of naloxone is often required to reverse an overdose. | In cases involving more powerful opioids like fentanyl, more than one dose of naloxone is often required to reverse an overdose. |
| Wednesday's action paves the way for the life-saving medication to be sold directly to consumers in places like drug stores, convenience stores, grocery stores and gas stations, as well as online. | Wednesday's action paves the way for the life-saving medication to be sold directly to consumers in places like drug stores, convenience stores, grocery stores and gas stations, as well as online. |
| Currently, it applies only to a four milligram dosage of the drug. Other doses of naloxone will remain available through a prescription only, the FDA said. | Currently, it applies only to a four milligram dosage of the drug. Other doses of naloxone will remain available through a prescription only, the FDA said. |
| The FDA and the pharmaceutical company behind Narcan, Emergent BioSolutions, said consumers will likely see the drug available over the counter in a few months. | The FDA and the pharmaceutical company behind Narcan, Emergent BioSolutions, said consumers will likely see the drug available over the counter in a few months. |
| Emergent BioSolutions has declined to disclose the price it plans for that version of Narcan. | Emergent BioSolutions has declined to disclose the price it plans for that version of Narcan. |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Opioids | Opioids |
| Prescription drugs | Prescription drugs |
| Drug use | Drug use |
| United States | United States |