Walgreens to provide generic version of Narcan over the counter
(KRON) — Walgreens on Wednesday announced it would begin making its generic brand of naloxone, a life-saving medicine used to reverse opioid overdoses, available over the counter. The pharmacy is expanding access to the drug with the launch of Walgreens Brand Naloxone HCI Nasal Spray.
The product will retail for $34.99, “lower than the comparable national brand at Walgreens stores,” the pharmacy chain said in a news release. Currently, the product is available online. It will be available in stores, chain-wide by the end of the month.
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The product, which will be available in the pain aisle, is intended to temporarily reverse the effects of opioids, including heroine, fentanyl, and prescribed opioid medications.
“As a leading healthcare services company rooted in a retail pharmacy footprint, Walgreens is committed to removing barriers to naloxone access,” said Dr. Priya Mammen, senior medical director in the Walgreens Office of Clinical Integrity. “As an emergency physician, I have for years combatted the devastating impacts of the opioid overdose epidemic and worked tirelessly to save lives. Expanding access to naloxone is a critical step in empowering individuals, families, and communities to act and be part of the solution. We must all confront this crisis head-on to bring change.”
Naloxone, according to Walgreens, works by quickly blocking the effects of opioids on the brain, restoring normal breathing and preventing overdose deaths. The product launch follows approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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