Narcan, a lifesaving nasal spray that quickly reverses the consequences of an opioid overdose, has been accredited for over-the-counter sale and non-prescription use, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration introduced Wednesday.
The treatment, which requires no particular coaching to manage, is the primary naloxone product to be accredited to be used and not using a prescription. It was first accredited by the FDA as a prescription drug in 2015.
It’s not but clear when the spray will hit retailer cabinets, or at what worth. Emergent BioSolutions, the drug’s Maryland-based producer, has stated it expects Narcan will probably be out there on U.S. cabinets and at on-line retailers by the late summer time. An organization spokesperson instructed HuffPost Wednesday that they aren’t but commenting on the value.
“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,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf stated in a press release.
The drug has the potential to reverse 1000’s of overdoses every year. Between October 2021 and October 2022, greater than 101,750 deadly overdoses had been reported within the U.S., in keeping with the FDA.
Synthetic opioids like fentanyl had been primarily answerable for these deaths, the FDA stated. The naloxone spray additionally has the power to reverse the overdose results of heroin, oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine and morphine.
Using the spray on somebody who doesn’t have opioids of their system received’t hurt them, and the drug will be administered to individuals of all ages, together with infants and the aged.
More than 44 million doses of Narcan have been distributed since 2016, Emergent BioSolutions stated.
