FDA approves over-the-counter Narcan

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved selling overdose antidote naloxone over-the-counter, marking the first time a opioid treatment drug will be available without a prescription.

Wednesday’s approval is for Narcan, a name-brand version of naloxone sold by Emergent BioSolutions. How much this will impact a nationwide overdose crisis is not clear, even though better access to naloxone is a priority. The decision means Narcan can be available at convenience and grocery stores, but its price isn’t clear.

For many people who use drugs, naloxone is already available from community groups — and that’s not expected to change.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved selling 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.

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