A person walks past a Walgreens truck, owned by Walgreens Boots Alliance, in Manhattan, New York City, on Nov. 26, 2021.
Andrew Kelly | Reuters
Walgreens on Wednesday it said it will offer its own cheaper version of naloxone, an over-the-counter opioid overdose reversal spray. The drug is available online and will be in all stores by the end of the month.
The pharmacy retailer aims to increase availability of the life-saving drug in the U.S. as the nation grapples with the cost of the opioid epidemic and attempts to reduce alarmingly high drug death rates.
More than 645,000 people died from overdoses of any opioid, including prescription and illicit opioids, between 1999 and 2021, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Naloxone can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, including heroin and fentanyl, when given early. The drug blocks the effects of opioids on the brain, restoring normal breathing and preventing death.
Despite the effectiveness of naloxone, access to the treatment “remains limited in many communities,” according to a statement from Walgreens.
The company said it will sell a two-dose package of “Walgreens Brand Naloxone” for $34.99. That's about $10 cheaper than the over-the-counter brand-name drug Narcan, which became the first over-the-counter version of naloxone to win approval from the Food and Drug Administration last year. Previously, patients needed a prescription to access naloxone.
“That was a concerted decision to do everything possible to increase accessibility, not only in terms of quantity and availability, but also price,” Dr. Priya Mammen, senior medical director of the Office of Clinical Integrity at Walgreens. an interview.
The company said the launch of its over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray comes after the recent approval of the product by the FDA. It is the generic equivalent of over-the-counter Narcan, which Walgreens currently offers in its stores.
Mammen hopes Walgreens can help reduce the stigma associated with drug overdoses and naloxone use.
The medicine “is not just for some people. It is a life-saving medicine that can intervene in anyone at any age, at any time, and it is something that families, individuals and communities can be empowered by having available and can be part of the solution.” ,” she said.
