The nasal spray that reverses opioid overdoses will sell for “less than $50” per kit, the manufacturer announced Thursday, spurring criticism that the price would put it out of reach for many people amid a drug crisis killing over 100,000 users each year.
Narcan for sale without a prescription, a long-expected shift designed to make the spray ubiquitous and easy to buy in chain pharmacies, supermarkets, convenience stores and gas stations.
“It’s still too expensive for pretty much everyone I’ve ever provided it to — mainly teens and people experiencing homelessness,” said Chelsea Shover, a professor of epidemiology at UCLA. “That price point is probably fine for many businesses or organizations who want or have to have a Narcan kit or two publicly available.”Emergent said its kits will be on store shelves, and available for purchase online, by late summer.
Naloxone, which replaces opioids binding to receptors in the brain, is not habit-forming and is safe to use on people who are not overdosing. It was long a prescription drug, but most states now use a “standing order” system of blanket prescriptions to allow customers to purchase the drug at a pharmacy, and for harm-reduction groups to dispense kits to drug users on the street and even by mail.
Despite the higher prices, Narcan’s ease of use has made it more mainstream in recent years as the opioid crisis has raged, with fentanyl killing about 70,000 people in 2021.
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