FDA approves OTC sales of opioid overdose drug Narcan

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday approved selling Narcan nasal spray—an opioid overdose treatment drug—without a prescription for it to be widely available.

Narcan is a life-saving drug that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdose, especially oxycodone and street drugs like heroin and fentanyl.

Emergent BioSolutions—Narcan’s maker—expects the drug to be available over-the-counter (OTC) by late summer and will be sold in drug stores, convenience stores, grocery stores and gas stations. The drug will also be sold online.

Note this
Two doses of Narcan roughly cost around $50.

Drug overdose deaths
More than 101,750 people died of drug overdoses in the US in 2022, and the deaths were primarily driven by illicit opioids like fentanyl, according to the FDA.