A recent Food and Drug Administration decision that makes naloxone available without a prescription may increase the drug's accessibility. But cost could be a barrier
A lifesaving drug that can reverse an opioid overdose will be available on pharmacy shelves without a prescription this summer, a regulatory relaxation that experts herald as an important step in managing the U.S. opioid epidemic.
“We really need to do everything we possibly can to make a dent in the overdose death crisis here in the U.S.,” says Kimberly Sue, an assistant professor of medicine at the Yale University School of Medicine. Naloxone nasal spray is relatively simple to administer: insert the tip of the nozzle into one nostril and push the plunger in. If it turns out that someone doesn’t have opioids in their system, the procedure is still safe because naloxone only binds to mu opioid receptors.
But experts still have a lot of questions about how the move will play out, especially in terms of cost. Estimates vary, but Palombi says the best price she can find now is still nearly $50 for a box of two Narcan doses—which is steep, considering that a single overdose may require several dispensers. Some health insurance programs currently cover naloxone, but they usually don’t cover over-the-counter medications.
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