FDA approval of over-the-counter Narcan is an important step in the effort to combat the US opioid crisis

On March 29, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-over-counter-naloxone-nasal-spray" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">approved Narcan</a> for <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-medication-opioids-health-38ae986009788501bc418fe108593632" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">over-the-counter sale</a>. Narcan is the 4-milligram nasal spray version of naloxone, a medication that can quickly counteract an opioid overdose. The FDA’s greenlighting of over-the-counter naloxone means that it will be available for purchase without a prescription at more than 60,000 pharmacies nationwide. That means that, for 90% of Americans, naloxone nasal spray will be accessible at a pharmacy <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japh.2022.07.003" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">within 5 miles from home</a>. It will also likely be available at gas stations, supermarkets and convenience stores. The transition from prescription to over-the-counter status is expected to take a few months. <a href="https://medium.com/the-conversation/fda-approval-of-over-the-counter-narcan-is-an-important-step-in-the-effort-to-combat-the-us-opioid-330c33eb71cd">Website</a>